Fried Soft Shell Crabs

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll sit in a boat with a fishing pole and drink beer all day.”

Some summer days are just too hot to cook or at least cooking anything that requires too much prep time and a lot of my go to summer dinners are focused around seafood for that reason, a little prep and lots of flavor for simple dishes perfect for simple suppers. Last night I fried up a couple of soft shells crabs and a couple of ears of corn of course cocktails for a CC&C kind if night. I took a look at a Curtis Stone recipe or two for the surf and turf cooking club weekly contribution. An easy marinade of garlic, olive oil, parsley and lemonade salt and pepper for the crabs and a fabulous side of bacon and sun-dried tomato corn on the cob. I added a bit of my favorite seafood seasoning to each recipe for extra flavor…If you prefer, make a light slaw instead of a green salad.

Fried Soft Shell Crabs adapted from Curtis Stone Recipe

6 soft shell crabs, cut in half
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning
zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
5 tablespoons olive oil plus 3 tablespoons for sautéing
3 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
5 ounces mixed lettuce leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dusting crabs

Marinate crabs in, jalapeño, garlic, lemon zest, seasoning and parsley in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons of olive oil and toss lightly. Marinate for 2 hours. In another large bowl pour the lemon juice and slowly add the 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil whisking constantly add more oil if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper. Toss vinaigrette with lettuce leaves and divide between 4 plates.
Place a large non-stick sauté pan over high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Dust the crabs with a little flour and place in the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once crabs are crispy on the outside and cooked through, remove from the pan and serve over prepared salad.