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Susan Jung

I've never seen a soft-shell crab I haven't liked - to eat, of course. Because they're inherently so delicious, they don't need fancy preparations: just flour and fry them, and serve with salad or in a sandwich.
Soft-shell crab salad with candied orange peel, toasted hazelnuts and citrus dressing (pictured)
1 orange
100 grams sugar
About 20ml fresh lime juice
120ml extra-virgin olive oil
120 grams mixed greens
25 grams hazelnuts
4 soft-shell crabs, thawed, if frozen
40 grams plain (all-purpose) flour
40 grams cornstarch
Paprika and cayenne pepper
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oil, for frying
Cut off the top and bottom of the orange, slicing just deep enough to expose the flesh at both ends. Stand the orange on a flat end and use a small serrated knife to remove the rind from the fruit in wide slices, cutting just down to the flesh and following the curve of the orange. When you have finished, you'll have a pile of orange peel and a 'naked' orange. Trim the pieces of peel into neat, evenly thick pieces, then cut into 5mm-wide slices. Put the peel into a small pan of water, bring to the boil, then drain in a colander. Put fresh water into the pan, add the peel, bring to the boil and drain. Repeat this process two more times - this removes some of the bitterness from the peel. Put 200ml of fresh water into the pan, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the peel, bring to the boil over a medium flame, then reduce the heat and cook at a low simmer until the rind is tender. Cool to room temperature. Take about three slices of the candied peel and rinse under cold water, to remove the excess syrup. Pat them dry with paper towels then dice. The remaining peel can be stored (in the syrup) at room temperature or in the fridge.
Supreme the skinned orange: hold the fruit in one hand and use a small serrated knife to cut out the segments of fruit from between the membrane. After removing the orange segments, squeeze the remaining juice from the membrane, then discard the membrane.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and toast the hazelnuts until they're fragrant and golden brown. Rub the hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to loosen the skin. Roughly chop the skinned hazelnuts.
Make the dressing by whisking 20ml of the orange juice with the lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add more lime juice if it is too sweet.
Use kitchen scissors to trim off the eyes and mouth of the crabs. With each crab, turn it on its back and find the flap at the base: lift it then pull it off. Turn the crab over. Lift the top shell on the left side of the crab, folding it over towards the centre to expose the feathery lungs. Pull out and discard the lungs then do the same on the right side of the crab.
Mix together the cornstarch and flour and season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper. Heat oil to the depth of about 2cm in a skillet. Thoroughly dredge each crab in the flour-cornstarch mixture, making sure they are entirely covered, and also flour the crabs under the top shell and where the lungs were. Shake off the excess flour and fry the crabs in hot (180 degrees) oil until they are cooked through (about two minutes on each side). Drain on paper towels.
Pile the salad greens onto four plates then drizzle with the dressing (you won't need all of it; it can be put in a jar and refrigerated for about a week). Add the toasted hazelnut, the orange supreme and candied orange zest before topping with the soft-shell crab.
Soft-shell crab with lemon aioli rolls
Aioli (or any egg-yolk emulsion) is hard to make with fewer than two yolks, so this recipe yields more than you'll need for these sandwiches. Store the leftover sauce in the fridge and use within a week on other types of sandwich or with potato salad.
For these sandwiches, look for crusty rolls with a 'crumb' that isn't too chewy.
4 bread rolls
4 soft-shell crabs, floured and fried as in the first recipe
1 or 2 ripe, sweet tomatoes
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the lemon aioli:
2-4 large garlic cloves
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
About 250ml mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil (or use half olive oil and half neutral-tasting cooking oil, such as grapeseed)
30ml fresh lemon juice, at room temperature
Peel the garlic cloves then cut them in half and remove and discard the green core. Pound the garlic and salt to a paste in the mortar then scrape the mixture into a bowl. Add the egg yolk to the bowl and, whisking constantly, add the oil a few drops at a time, making sure it's thoroughly incorporated into the yolk before adding more. When an emulsion has been established, start adding the oil in a very light trickle, but not too fast, otherwise the mixture will curdle. If the mixture gets too thick, whisk in some of the lemon juice. Continue until all the oil and lemon juice have been incorporated, then taste; add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
Fry the soft-shell crabs as in the first recipe. Split the bread rolls in half and toast in an oven preheated to 200 degrees. Cool slightly then spread the cut sides of the rolls with the lemon aioli. Lay thin slices of the tomato on the bottom half of the roll, add a crab, then add the top half of the roll. Serve immediately.
Styling: Corner Kitchen Cooking School
 


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Susan Jung's recipes

Soft shell crab recipes: salad with candied orange peel, toasted hazelnuts and citrus dressing, and with lemon aioli rolls

Soft-shell crab salad with candied orange peel, toasted hazelnuts and citrus dressing. Photo: Jason Joseph Bonello

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