Soft-Shell Crabs with Salty Tomato Butter

Name: Soft-Shell Crabs with Salty Tomato Butter
Yield: serves 2 to 4
Ingredients: Canola oil, for sautéing; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; Pinch of ground cayenne pepper; 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk; Dash of hot sauce; 4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned; Salty Tomato Butter (recipe follows); 1 lemon, cut into wedges; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; 2 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (substitute: dried and reconstituted); 6 fresh basil leaves; 1 tablespoon coarse or flaky sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; (makes one 4- to 5-inch log or about 1/2 cup)

December 14, 2011

Soft-shell crab season, which generally lasts from May through June, is short and highly anticipated. That’s because soft-shell crabmeat is unbelievably tender and buttery-sweet, and the shell, which you eat along with the meat, is perfectly crunchy without being the least bit tough or chewy. True fanatics don’t let a moment of soft-shell crab season go to waste, eating them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, in sandwiches or served solo. Ask your fishmonger to clean them for you.

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