Fried Softshell Crabs with Crabmeat Cream Reduction
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Crabmeat Hollandaise
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
Crabmeat Cream Reduction
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup finely diced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces white lump crabmeat
Soft Shell Crabs
  • 1 gallon peanut oil
  • 8 (medium or large) softshell crabs, cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups yellow cornmeal
  • Kosher salt
  • 24 spears of asparagus, steamed
  • 4 tablespoons diced green onion
Instructions
Crabmeat Hollandaise
  1. In a blender container, add the egg yolks and lemon juice and pulse until the mixture quickly lightens in color and is combined.
  2. Turn the blender to low, remove the cover, and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Once the butter is combined, and the sauce thickened, add a pinch of salt and cayenne to taste. Pour the sauce into a bowl and keep warm for serving.
Crabmeat Cream Reduction
  1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil along with the shallots. Sauté just until the shallots turn translucent and then add the garlic and parsley. Stir while adding the wine to deglaze the pan and continue cooking until most of the alcohol burns off. Add the cream and let the mixture come to a slow boil. Watch as the water bubbles appear and the cream begins to thicken. Once thickened to coat the back of a spoon, gently add the crabmeat being careful not to break the lumps. Keep warm for serving.
Softshell Crabs
  1. In a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, add the peanut oil halfway up the side of the pot and bring to 350ºF.
  2. Inspect the crabs to make sure the gills have been removed and are cleaned. Sprinkle the crabs lightly with Cajun seasoning. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal and dredge the crabs until thickly coated. Once breaded, let them rest on a tray for 5 minutes to set the batter. Add the crabs to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Be sure to use a splatter screen or cover the pot since the crabs contain moisture that will pop grease all over. Once the grease quits popping and the crabs are golden brown, move to a wire rack and sprinkle with salt.
  3. For serving, add several tablespoons of hollandaise sauce to the plate and arrange a portion of asparagus spears on top. Pile two fried softshell crabs on top and spoon over the lump crabmeat cream. Sprinkle with diced green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
There’s lots of ways to make hollandaise; this is my blender method. This Cajun recipe is dependent on sourcing the freshest and largest softshell crabs you can find. If you buy the thick asparagus, be sure to peel back the stalk. Try to preserve the nuggets of lump crabmeat; treat it gently. It bears repeating: there's lots of moisture inside a softshell crab; use a splatter screen to prevent burning yourself with popping grease.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/2023/06/26/fried-softshell-crabs/