Soft-Shell Crabs With Creamy Tomato Sauce

Recipe Ingredients

		Yield: 4 Servings
6 tablespoons	90ml	Olive oil
6		Garlic clove - thinly sliced
6		Shallots - thinly sliced (large)
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt
1 teaspoon	5ml	Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Sugar
35 oz	994g	Tomatoes - whole, packed in
		Drained and chopped
1 cup	237ml	Creme fraiche
1 cup	62g / 2.2oz	Flour
8		Soft-shell crabs - cleaned

Recipe Instructions

In a large non-reactive skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent and the garlic begins to brown, 5 to 6 minutes (don't let the garlic get too brown or it will be bitter).

Stir in the cumin and celery seeds, red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute longer.

Stir in the sugar and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

Add the creme fraiche and simmer for 6 minutes longer. Cover and keep warm. (The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.) Preheat the oven to 250F On a plate, toss the flour with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.

Pat the crabs dry with paper towels and dredge them in the seasoned flour. In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat. Add 4 of the crabs and cook, turning once, until red and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the crabs to a heatproof platter and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 4 crabs.

To serve, spoon the tomato sauce onto 4 warmed plates and arrange 2 crabs on the sauce on each plate.

Recipe from Food and Wine, June, 1991

Source:
Diana Gonzalez Kirby

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