I set myself this challenge with great trepidation.
I nearly always order soft shell crab when it is on a seasonal menu, but had never made it at home. It somehow seemed daunting to attempt this slightly weird ingredient. Having now done so, how wrong I was. This is one of the easiest items to make in the world and truly delicious, especially when served with a salad with a peppery green like mizuna, the bite of young scallions, avocado as a textural contrast, and lemon to highlight all the good flavors. Yum, yum, yum.
Plan on making 2 crabs per person, especially since this is simply served on a salad. The recipe below is for 2 people rather than my usual 4.
4 soft shell crabs, make sure your fishmonger or grocery store cleans them for you
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 large bunch purple mizuna or other peppery green, torn into bite sized pieces
1 avocado, cubed
1 1/2 red or regular scallions, chopped, green and white parts
juice from 1 lemon + 1 whole lemon
2 Tbsps olive oil
Salt to taste
Mix 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the juice of one lemon together in a large bowl. Whisk together well. Add a little salt.
Add the avocado and the scallions, toss and set aside.
Mix the flour, cornstarch and salt together on a plate. Dredge the soft shell crabs well in the mixture, making sure that all surfaces are covered with the flour mix.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Shake the excess flour off the crabs and, as soon as the oil is sizzling, add them to the pan, "shell" side down. Cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
While the crab is cooking, add the mizuna to the salad bowl and toss well. Transfer the salad equally to 2 dinner plates.
Place the crabs on top of the salad, spritz with lemon juice and serve at once.