Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich

Name: Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich
Yield: makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients: 1 head garlic; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 2 large hard-boiled eggs, whites and yolks separated, whites finely chopped; 2 tablespoons grainy mustard; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon drained horseradish; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; Vegetable oil, for frying; Fine yellow cornmeal, for dredging; 4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned (by the fishmonger; if you want to do it yourself, see note below); 4 ounces baby arugula; 4 seeded semolina rolls, split and lightly toasted

December 14, 2011

When in season, soft-shell crabs are a big seller in all of our restaurants. People just love them. We make a light batter, fry them nice and crisp, and set them over a salad for our guests. During one of my trips to Baltimore, I wanted to go visit Crisfield Seafood in Silver Spring, Maryland, known for its soft-shell crab sandwich. The experience was good: the soft-shell crab, nice and crispy, was the best part; the sesame bun and the coleslaw were the usual suspects. In this recipe I’ve added my own twist to the bread and ingredients. Get a good semolina roll, and top the crabs with an arugula-and-egg salad, an Italian American solution. If you want to serve this as a salad, double the salad and dressing and omit the rolls. Serve crabs on top of the greens, with dressing dolloped on the side.

Recipe notes

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