Soft Shell Crabs
I've mentioned this before, but living in Maryland definitely has it's advantages in the food world. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the country covering more than 64,000 square miles. From the water we can harvest many delicious critters including the iconic blue crab. Maryland crabs are considered to be the best in the world, frequently winning blind taste tests. Soft shell crabs are simply blue crabs that have molted their shells and are still soft. They require minimal cleaning and are eaten whole. Guts and all. This may sound brutal to some people, but I assure you, it's delicious.
I picked these two females from the Baltimore Farmer's Market under the JFX on Sunday morning for 6 dollars each. They were harvested by a local waterman and were still kicking when I cleaned them.
They do require a bit of cleaning before they can be cooked, and I apologize in advance if you are the type of person who doesn't want to see the sausage getting made. Take a pair of kitchen shears and cut their faces off. Then flip up the sides of the shells and snip out all the gill fins. The first photo below illustrates the lack of a face with the gills still in tact.
This second photo shows the removed gill area. Wrap them in paper towels and let them sit for about 20 minutes to remove some excess water. While you are waiting make a batter using equal parts flour and cornmeal. Add some old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Brush the crabs with a little oil, dredge in the batter, and saute in a pan of butter starting shell side down over medium high heat.
Saute for 5 minutes a side then serve immediately. These crabs are excellent in sandwich form as well. I served them with some fresh made pesto on linguine and farm stand tomatoes. This is a great summer treat as soft shells have a limited window.