Pan-Fried Soft-Shelled Crabs

Cuz I'm fancy like that.

One of the perks of living in the Mid-Atlantic Region is FRESH, WILD-CAUGHT, LOCAL SEAFOOD!  Not farm-raised in Chile, not shipped over from Sweden, not frozen and carted around in cargo planes.  So whenever I'm at the fancy market and see the words LOCAL and WILD in big orange letters, I take my chances.

I asked my local fishmonger (cuz I have one now, and its amazing- he's from Canada & just became a citizen and this is his first US election!) how one might properly prepare a fresh, local, wild soft-shelled crab and he recommended deep frying and adding some fancy soft cheese. 

I said, "Frying..?"  And he sighed and said, "Or I supposed a sauté will work if you want to be healthier or whatever," obviously peeved that I second-guessed him, but still glad that I asked.

So that's what I did!  Sauteed (or basically pan-fried) breaded soft-shelled crab!

It was really so easy and looks UBER impressive, plus no shell-cracking required- you just eat EVERYTHING!  Kinda weird at first, but you'll get over it; promise.

DIRECTIONS:

• Rinse off crabs under cold, running water & pat dry with paper towels
• Soak crabs in buttermilk (or whatever, I even used vanilla almond milk once and it was fine!) for at least 5 minutes
• Dredge through a pan or large plate of whole wheat flour, whole wheat Panko crumbs, sea salt, crushed black pepper, and a generous sprinkling of Old Bay (I'm still a Maryland girl at heart!).
• Shake off excess flour and transfer immediately into a large pan heated to a MEDIUM temperature with enough oil to almost cover the bottom of the pan
• Sprinkle crabs with Parmesan cheese as its closer to being done and allow it to caramelize slightly
• Flip when golden brown
• Allow to drain on paper towels
• Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top
• Serve with goat cheese, homemade tartar sauce, ranch dressing, or whatever you prefer (Mine are shown with roasted beets & rutabagas!)

Seriously VERY impressive!  And delicious!  And fast!