Congratulations to August’s Beer Versus Wine Challenge winner – The Wandering Sheppard! Part of the honor includes coming up with September’s challenge. Participants have until next Tuesday, September 9 to turn in their suggestion before we take it to a vote. Winner gets to present October’s challenge. For more on the rules, click here.
“You want me to do what?” I asked the fisherman behind the counter.
When I decided to choose Soft Shell Crab for the monthly beer and wine pairing, I actually learned more about what I was eating. During the summer months, it seemed soft shell crabs were on the menu everywhere. So I thought I could scan my local seafood restaurant, order soft shell crab, snap a few pictures, and begin writing.
It was late August when I made the decision and found soft shell crab was not as available as I thought. What I learned was the window for soft shell crab season is from May through September. I also found out that soft shell crabs are not a species, but a period when blue crabs go through a phase where their shells are soft (I started to read the marine biologist explanations, but my stomach kept interrupting). So I had to actually introduce a food pairing that I had to cook.
In Raleigh, we have Local Seafood, a local seafood market that buys from North Carolina fisherman and sells at the Raleigh State Farmers Market. I happened to be checking my Twitter feed when I saw they advertised having soft shell crab available. Grateful that fate was pointing toward this pairing, my wife and I headed for the Farmers Market. I’m cooking these for the first time, so I had no idea what to expect at Local Seafood’s counter. First, I’m asked do I want Live or Frozen. As someone who enjoys food, I wanted to lean toward Live. But the fisherman explained buying Live means cleaning and prepping the crab. I was confused on the prep, because you eat the whole crab when they are soft shell. This is when the fisherman explains that I have to clean the crab and cut the face off. “You want me to do what?” as I turn to my wife with a confused and worried look.
The fisherman turns a quick smile and walks me over to where the live crabs are. He picks one up to show the face and explains what I have to do. The things you have to do for fresh seafood! Regardless of the species, cleaning fish is not my thing. Even the thought of filleting off the skin or deveining shrimp makes me cringe. So we bought a few frozen crabs and headed home. I think the fisherman was a little disappointed because he probably imagined the comedic episode of my wife and I attempting to take the crabs face off.
The easiest way to cook soft shell crab is to fry them in a skillet. It’s a smörgȧsbord of flavor all up in it. Before we drop the crabs in some heated oil, my wife set up our breading station as I began thawing and patting the crab dry. We used House-Autry Chicken Breading with some Old Bay mixed in, diluted egg wash, and panko. While the pictured finished product won’t win any awards (at least awards your mom will brag about), the crust was pretty tasty with a slight kick and the frying kept the crab juicy. Even though the crabs were frozen, I still taste salt water remnants from where they were caught. We actually bought too much and cooked them all, which turned out okay – leftover crabs make great sandwiches or omelet ingredients, as suggested by the fisherman at the market.
Whether you fry soft shell crab at home or order them in restaurants, what is your favorite beer or wine pairing?