sunday supper: creepy sandwich experiment

I realize that it looks like a giant bug in a sandwich, but soft shell crabs are so good, you totally get over the creep factor. You can only get soft shells - which are blue crabs that have just molted - for a couple of months a year, if you're lucky. I've never actually cooked them myself before, and was actually a little nervous about doing it right, but it was surprisingly easy. Recipe after the jump:



SOFT SHELL CRAB SANDWICHES

Ingredients
4 soft shell crabs, cleaned
1 cup flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Either 2 large sandwich rolls, or 4 small crusty rolls
mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation
Heat oil in a skillet large enough to hold the crabs over medium-high heat. Dredge the crabs in the flour, shaking off excess. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until they develop a nice brown crust. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Combine mayo with lemon juice, spread on each half of the rolls, plop the crabs on the rolls. You can add tomatoes or lettuce or whatever fixings you like to the sandwich. That's it! Super easy.