A Good Reason to Be Crabby!
It's soft-shell crab season again, which means summer is almost here. To really appreciate them, try them sauteed with butter and toasted almonds. But you must get them fresh, which means live (like raw clams or oysters). Do not buy them pre-cleaned--there's no way to tell how old they are at that point. According to my hub, they're quite easy to clean and prep once you know the technique.
We first ate them prepared this way at my favorite restaurant, L'Auberge Chez Francois, in Great Falls, Virginia. (I haven't been in several years, since I no longer live in the D.C. area, but I hear it's just as wonderful as ever.) I'd only had softshells deepfried before that meal--and what a revelation!
Now we wait for softshell season and buy them at Roche Bros. grocery store for about $2.99 apiece. With some asparagus and a nice salad, it's the best of late spring eating. Also, most softshells come from the mid-Atlantic region, particularly Virginia, so it's like a little bit of my old home in my new home.
posted by Alison Rose at
1:30 AM
1 Comments:
You're gonna make me cry, David! (Nostalgia will do that to you. Or to me, anyway.)
For those of you who've never had the joy of plowing through a mound of crabs as David describes: Part of the fun of eating blue crabs comes from the knowledge that at the end of the night you'll be covered with little nicks on your fingers from the claws, your shirt will be covered with bits of crab and seawater, you'll be burning off more calories than you take in because of the sheer work of digging out the meat--and it's worth it all.
A truly unique American dining experience, especially if you're lucky enough also to have really fresh sliced tomatoes, hot fresh corn, good cold beer, and friendly company to share it all.
Heaven, indeed.
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