James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [129]
11/2 cups milk
Paprika
Line a 9-inch pie plate with a rich pastry and chill it for at least 1 hour. Brush the bottom of the crust with white of egg. Fill it with a mixture of the celery, parsley, wine, crabmeat, and seasonings. Mix the eggs and milk together thoroughly and pour over the crabmeat mixture. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and continue baking until the custard is set, about 20 minutes. Serve as a first course or as the main course at luncheon.
Soft-Shelled Crab
The smaller the soft-shelled crab and the earlier it is caught in the molting process, the tenderer and the better flavored it will be. Usually soft-shelled crab is bought already cleaned at the market, but here is the process in case you must do it yourself. With the aid of a small sharp-pointed knife, fold back the covering at the points of the back, and remove all the spongy bits you find there. Turn the crab over and remove the small apron on the front.
Two or three soft-shelled crabs are usually ample for one portion. There are, of course, some people with hearty appetites who can eat a dozen at a sitting.
SOFT-SHELLED CRABS MEUNIÉRE
8 to 12 soft-shelled crabs, cleaned
Flour
6 to 8 tablespoons butter
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 or more tablespoons chopped parsley
Lemon slices
Dip the crabs in flour and cook them in hot butter until they are delicately browned and crisp on the edges. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped parsley and transfer to a hot platter. Pour the pan juices over the crabs and serve with lemon slices.
VARIATIONS
Sautéed Crabs Amandine. Add 1/2 cup of blanched sliced almonds to the pan with the crabs and cook them until they are lightly browned. Pour over the crabs.
Soft-shelled Crabs in Cream. After removing the sautéed crabs to a platter add 3 tablespoons flour to the pan and stir until lightly browned. Add 11/2 cups heavy cream and stir until thickened and well blended. Add 4 tablespoons Madeira or sherry. Taste for seasoning. Pour the cream sauce over the crabs and serve with fried toast.
SAUTÉED CRABS GRENOBLOISE
Dust 8 to 12 soft-shelled crabs with flour. Sauté, 3 or 4 crabs at a time, in 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of oil, until nicely browned, adding more butter and oil if needed. Remove the crabs to a warm platter and add to the pan the juice of one lemon, 1/3 cup capers, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, and 1/3 cup chopped chives (optional). Swirl sauce in pan, adding a tablespoon or two of butter if you wish, and pour sauce over the crabs. Garnish with paper-thin slices of lemon and serve immediately.
BROILED SOFT-SHELLED CRABS
12 Soft-shelled crabs, cleaned
Flour
1/2 cup butter or more
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Dust the crabs lightly with flour. Arrange them on a broiling rack or in a flat broiling dish. Cream the butter with the seasonings. Dot the crabs liberally with the butter mixture and broil about 3 inches from the heat, basting often and turning once during the cooking. These will take from 5 to 8 minutes to cook, depending upon their size. Serve with the pan juices poured over them.
FRIED SOFT-SHELLED CRABS
Heat fat for frying in your French fryer to 375°. Dip cleaned crabs in flour, then in beaten egg, and then in dry crumbs (bread or cracker). Fry for 4 or 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove to absorbent paper and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tartar sauce (pages 35–36) or sauce rémoulade (page 35).
SOFT-SHELLED CRABS À L’AMéRICAINE
Prepare a sauce à l’Américaine (page 28). Sauté the crabs in olive oil with a finely chopped clove of garlic. Add the sauce and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
King Crab or Alaska Crab
These giant land crabs were known before World War II as Japanese crabs, and great quantities of them were shipped into this country in cans. It was excellent canned crab for creamed dishes, soups, and curries. Now it is a product of Alaska — the fishing beds having