Medium

Fried Soft-Shell Crab

Total Time
1h 12m
18m prep · 54m cook
Servings
4 people
Rating
Difficulty
Medium
2 views
🥬 Vegetarian 🥜 Nut-Free ☪️ Halal

These fried soft-shell crabs are crisp and delicious — you can eat the whole crab! This is my favorite food.

Ingredients

  • 4 soft-shell crabs
  • 1 quart oil for frying , or as needed
  • 0.5 cups milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. 1

    Lift one pointed side of the top shell of one crab; pull out and discard the gills. Lower the shell and repeat on the other side. Remove the tail flap on the bottom side by twisting and pulling. Use a pair of scissors to cut behind the eyes and remove the face. Repeat to clean remaining crabs. Rinse cleaned crabs thoroughly with cold water, then dry on paper towels.

  2. 2

    Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).

  3. 3

    Whisk milk and egg together in a shallow bowl. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in another shallow bowl. Lightly salt each crab. Dredge in flour; shake off excess. Dip into beaten egg. Lift up so excess egg drips back into the bowl. Press into flour to coat both sides.

  4. 4

    Working in batches if necessary, carefully lower crabs into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully turn and cook until golden brown on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving

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