Soft Shell Crab, Pan Fried

I've read about them plenty, but I've never eaten soft shell crab before. Never even seen one before today. The idea that a crab shell could be so thin that you can eat the whole thing, beast and its shell and all, is intriguing.

When I expressed my surprise at seeing them at the Poland Giant Eagle, the guy behind the seafood counter was non-responsive. I asked him if soft shell crabs were a seasonal item. He shrugged. I foolishly asked him a few more questions and got no more than a shrug and a grunt in response. In fact, he acted every bit like a teenaged boy who'd never cooked anything in his life and really didn't give a hoot about his crappy job either. The only problem was, he looked to be about my father's age.

I asked for 2 soft shell crabs, despite their small size and exorbitant price ($3.99 each) and tried to explain to him, as he struggled with the scale and automated pricing and labeling software, that they were not $3.99 a pound, but $3.99 each. He would not listen to me.

I finally said, "Forget it. What I really came for is the Copper River salmon and the 40-count shrimp."

No response.

He continued to struggle with the scale, muttering under his breath. Eventually, a woman from the meat counter came over to see why a customer was getting so agitated. She ended up commandeering the scale, physically pushing the guy aside, in order to print the label and the price. Unfortunately, once she was done, she walked away.

The seafood guy then turned to me, smiled and said, "Anything else?"

I couldn't get home fast enough.

After a quick search of the Internet for recipes, I ended up doing something completely different. I took 1/2 cup of masa harina (fine corn flour) and added cajun spices--thyme, cayenne, white and black peppper, a bit of cumin, and some salt--and dredging the two crabs in them.

I then fried them up in a few tablespoons of canola oil, 3 to 4 minutes on a side.

Before I started fussing with the crabs, however, I threw some potato wedges, drizzled with olive oil, into the oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees, and made up a small batch of lemon garlic aioli (mayo mixed with lemon juice and garlic).

Within an hour, I was dining very unexpectedly on something I'd never had before.

I'd like to report that the meal was perfect, near to heaven, but I was distracted by the texture of the paper-thin shells which were...well...the texture and consistency of pan-fried printer paper. Some pieces, I simply couldn't chew through at all. I ended up sucking out the meat, chewing the juice from the shells, then spitting them out like spit wads.

The meat was delicious, though, and the meal was more than passing good. I'll definitely try soft shell crabs again, should I ever encounter them. Next time, I'll try putting more heat on them, to make those shells seriously more crunchy.