THIS IS CALLED A SPIDER SANDWICH.
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Grilled Softshell Crabs
4 tablespoons deli-style mustard
3 tablespooons melted butter
8 prime softshell crabs, dressed

Preparation Instructions:
Once charcoals have stopped flaming, mix mustard with enough melted butter to get a liquid paste. Brush on the crabs. Place on grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
You might want some extra's becauce
some will be eaten as soon as they come of the grill.
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Softshell Crabs Grilled in Soy Sauce
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 1/2 cups white wine
* 1/3 cup olive oil and melted butter
* 6 drops hot pepper sauce
* dash of tony's
* 4 or 20 soft shell crabs
mix 2x or 3x more if cooking more crabs

Preparation Instructions:
In a shallow baking dish mix soy sauce, white wine, olive oil, hot pepper sauce and chopped garlic. Add soft crabs and cover. Marinate for 2 hours. Wait for the coals to stop flaming in the grill, and place crabs on the rack. Turn a few times, basting frequently. Soft crabs are cooked when firm and slightly crisp. Serves 2 or 10.
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Softshell Crabs, Pecan Monteleone

* 4 prime softshell crabs, cut in quarters
* seasoned flour
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
* 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
* 1/2 cup absinthe liqueur
* 3 egg yolks, beaten
* 1/2 cup cream
* salt and pepper
* 16 tomato slices
* 16 toasted bread rounds
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* dash cayenne pepper

Preparation Instructions:
Rinse crabs and dry with paper towel. Cut each crab into four parts. Toss crabs very lightly in seasoned flour. Melt butter in heavy skillet; when hot, put in crabs, shell side down. Reduce heat and saute crabs until brown Turn crabs and brown on other side. When brown all over, remove to hot platter and keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion and parsley to butter remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 cup absinthe and simmer for 5 minutes. Have ready the yolks of three eggs beaten together with 1/2 cup of cream. Add this to absinthe broth, being careful not to let the broth boil after the egg mixture has been added. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place tomato slices on toasted bread round, top with 1/4 piece of softshell crab, spoon over absinthe sauce and sprinkle with chopped pecans and cayenne pepper. Yields 16 hors d'oeuvres or 4 main course meals.


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Softshell Crabs with almonds

* 1 cup sliced almonds
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 12 softshell crabs
* 1 cup milk
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread almonds on a small baking sheet and toast in oven, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool. In a food processor, combine toasted almonds, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne. Process until almonds are finely ground, about 30 seconds. Place this almond flour in a large bowl. One at a time, dip half the crabs into the milk, then dredge lightly in the almond flour. In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons each butter and oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add coated crabs and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining crabs. Serves 4.
HA!
kick it up with 3 dashes of worcestershire sauce to the milk.
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Soft Shell Crabs Meuniere with Remoulade

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

For the Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
1 teaspoon cornichons, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 soft shell crabs, cleaned and soaked in milk for 1 hour
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging
Make remoulade: Combine all the ingredients well.

In a large saucepan heat the oil over high heat until just smoking. Remove the crabs from the milk and coat with the flour, knocking off the excess. Carefully add the crabs to the pan (they will splatter) and saute them for 4 minutes a side or until they are golden and just cooked. Serve each portion topped with some of the sauce.

Yield: 2 servings
Difficulty: Easy
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Spicy Stuffed Softshells

* 6 jumbo soft crabs
* 1 pound backfin crab meat
* 12 Ritz crackers (finely crushed)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Tony's seafood seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 tablespoon mustard
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 2 egg whites (lightly beaten)
* flour to coat soft crabs
* peanut oil for frying
* lettuce, lemon and tomato wedges for garnish

Preparation Instructions:
Toss backfin crab meat with cracker crumbs, Tony's, salt and pepper. Mix together mustard, mayonnaise and egg whites. Add to crab meat and mix lightly. Stuff soft crab cavity with mixture. Pile high enough to make a mound in center of soft crab. Shape with hands. Coat with flour. Brown on back first in about an inch of oil in electric fry pan at 375 degrees. Turn and brown on top side. Remove from oil with large slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Serve on lettuce leaf. Garnish with lemon and tomato wedges. Serves 6.
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Baked Softshell Crabs

* 12 softshell crabs
* 1/4 cup milk
* 3/4 cup flour
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 2 teaspoons salt & pepper
* 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Preparation Instructions:
Dress fresh crabs or thaw frozen crabs. Rinse in cold water; drain. Combine eggs, milk, salt. Combine flour and crumbs. Dip crabs in egg mixture and roll in flour/crumb mixture. For heavier breading, let crabs sit several minutes and repeat dipping-rolling procedure. Place crabs in a greased baking pan. Put a little butter on each crab and place the pan in a hot oven (400 degrees) for about 8 minutes. Serves 6.
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Soft-Shell Crabs with Lime Sauce

Recipe Courtesy of Michelle Urvater

1/2 cup all purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 medium-sized soft-shell crabs, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup water
Optional: 1/2 cup roasted sliced almonds

Lemon wedges or rounds for garnish
Season the flour with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Coat the crabs with flour and shake off excess. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the crabs, shell side down first and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes a side (stand back a bit from skillet as crab will pop and splatter as you saute them.)

Remove the crabs and keep them warm. Add lime zest, juice and water to the pan. Deglaze the pan by scraping up all the browned particles with a wooden spoon and incorporating them into the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Boil the juices down until syrupy. Set crabs on warmed dinner plates and pour pan juices over them. For fancier occasions, garnish the plate with lemon rounds and sprinkle toasted almonds over the crabs.

Yield: 4 servings
Difficulty: Easy
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Quick and Easy Sautéed Soft shell Crabs

* 12 or 24 depending on size, soft crabs, cleaned
* Salt and pepper
* Flour
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons oil

Preparation Instructions:
Wash crabs and remove excess water. Season with salt and pepper and dip in flour. Heat butter and oil in skillet. Cook about 4 minutes per side until delicately browned and crisp.
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