Sauteed Soft-Shell Crabs With Tomatoes

Ingredients

For tomatoes:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• ½ clove of garlic, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoon fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the capers:

• 4 tablespoons capers
• Flour for dredging
• Peanut oil for deep frying, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep

For the crabs:

• 8 ready-to-cook soft-shell crabs
• Milk for dipping
• Flour for dredging
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• Parsley or basil leaves for garnishing
• 4 lemon wedges

4 servings

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in saute pan and add shallot and garlic. Cook gently for about two minutes or until the shallot has softened. Add tomatoes and basil and stir until juices are released.
2. Turn up heat and cook until tomatoes are somewhat dry. Remove from heat, swirl in the butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
3. Rinse capers, dry them and sprinkle them with flour. Heat peanut oil and fry capers until light golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard oil.
4. Prepare crabs. Dip crabs in milk, then in flour, season with salt and pepper. Heat three tablespoons peanut oil in large skillet and saute the crabs, starting with the shell side, the crab’s top side, down first, for a few minutes. Turn over and saute for one and a half to two minutes on underside. Drain on paper towels.
5. Serve crabs on heated individual plates. Divide the tomatoes among four plates and place crabs on top. Sprinkle with the fried capers and garnish with parsley or basil leaves and lemon wedges.