Soft-shell crabs come battered and fried 



Ask a coastal cook how she or he prepares soft-shell 

 crabs and the answer is almost always the same: 

 fried. From posh restaurants in New Orleans to 

 the down-home kitchens in Dare County, cooks batter 

 and fry the soft-shell crab. 



"Frying is the only way," says 77-year-old Helen Scar- 

 borough of Manteo. "And that's the way we've always 

 fixed our soft crabs." Scarborough cleans her crabs, then 

 salts and peppers them. She dips the crabs in a batter 

 made of evaporated milk and flour (Occasionally an egg 

 is added). Then Scarborough drops the crabs in hot, deep 

 fat, frying them to a golden brown. 



While it seems everybody prefers soft crabs fried, 

 cooks do differ in their choice of batters. Emma Avery, a 

 Carteret County cook, coats her crabs with an egg-and- 

 flour batter. No milk. Collington shedder Murray 

 Bridges says he dredges his soft crabs in flour only. "The 

 flour holds in the moisture while frying," he says. 



Sherry Creech, manager of The Charter Restaurant in 

 Morehead City, says cooks there salt and pepper the 

 soft-shells before thoroughly coating them with flour. 



Photos by Steve Wilson 



"Flour is the best coating for soft-shells," she says. 

 "Flour has a lighter texture than cornmeal and it retains 

 less grease. And because flour provides a more even 

 coating than cornmeal, it holds in more moisture. 



"And we never fry soft-shell crabs in the same grease 

 we fry any of our other seafoods. Soft-shell crabs will pick 

 up the stronger flavors of other seafoods if they're cooked 

 in the same grease." 



Creech says The Charter does broil soft-shell crabs and 

 occasionally grills them for customers who request it. For 

 broiling, the crabs are rubbed with oil, sprinkled with 

 minced garlic and topped with seasoned bread crumbs, 

 Creech says. Broiling sometimes makes the top shell 

 tough, Creech says, and the crab more chewy. 



The demand for soft-shell crabs has increased in recent 

 years, Creech says. "We now prepare about sixty dozen 

 soft-shell crabs a week," she says. 



Eating a soft crab means eating the whole thing except 

 the eyes, mouth, apron and lungs, which are removed 

 before cooking. 



Continued on next page 



Cleaning a soft-shell 



1. Turn the crab on its back. 



2. Lift and remove the apron. 



3. Turn the crab over and lift 

 the left lateral spine. 



4. Scrape away the grayish- 

 white feathery gills. (Remove 

 gills from left side using the 

 same procedure.) 



5. Remove the eyes and mouth 

 by making one cut behind the 

 eyes with kitchen shears. 



