Tempura Soft Shell Crab Recipe
From Coastal Living. It is meant to be served with crab-dipping sauce and Asian slaw. Preparing the recipe at home is so easy and joyful. I do not use whole crabs; I simply use lump crab flesh, batter it, and then fry it to create a "crab cake"-like a patty. However, if you do so, cook the meat for a shorter period than the crabs. Follow the recipe step by step and have fun.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, (enough to fry your amount of crab with)
- 1 1/2 cups Cake flour, (or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 teaspoon Sea salt, (or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt)
- 1 large Egg yolk
- 1 1/4 cups Soda water
- 8 jumbo Soft-shell crabs, (dressed)
- Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Instructions
- Put oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 1 inch, then heat the mixture to 350°.
- Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl.
- 3. Stir yolk into soda water in a 2-cup measure until blended; pour over flour mixture, and, with a large fork, gently combine the batter—it should be slightly lumpy and of heavy cream consistency.
- Dip 2 crabs into batter, letting excess drip back into bowl; then carefully slide them into hot oil, placing them upside down, top-side down. Fry for about 1 ½ minutes on each side until browned and crispy. Remove from oil to paper towels. Place them on a baking sheet. Warm them up in the oven at 200°. Then do the same thing with the other oil and remaining crabs.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with Asian Slaw and Crab Dipping Sauce.