Fried Soft-Shell Crab Recipe

Well I have to admit I did not use the egg or milk, just used seasoned flour and pan fried to a golden brown. I was afraid that the egg and milk would create to thick of a crust, and that would take away from the wonderful crab taste.

This was something completely new for DH and me! We live just a couple of miles from Puget Sound and have eaten more than our share of fresh Dungeness... but fresh soft shelled crab is not something that we can seem to find out here. BUT, I found some frozen ones and decided to take a chance! Well, I'm glad I did because they are AWESOME! I thawed them slowly in the fridge and then unwrapped them (they were IQF, luckily!) and put them on a clean, dry kitchen towel, folded over on top of them so that they were covered top and bottom, for an hour to soak up some of the moisture (they were VERY wet when thawed). I then put them in the fridge, towel and all, until dinner time a couple of hours later. I used the egg-milk blend and put a little Old Bay into the flour. I fried them in fresh canola oil. I made two each for DH and me... (with homemade tartar sauce) as well as a small piece of strip (NY) steak and some french fries. A truly delicious meal! It's been a couple of days and DH is still commenting on how juicy and crispy those crab were! Thanks for the recipe, Wes!

Delicious! This was a hit with my friends as well as my gluten-free friends when I made it with the gluten-free flour for them. This simple recipe allows you to add creole spices for your soft shell crab po' boys or just simple salt & pepper to pair with your favorite Asian sauce! (in the photo is a wasabi mayo)

Excellent recipe! However, we did substitute rice flour for the all-purpose flour, which made for a much lighter and fluffier crusting. Next time we are also considering Panko crumbs.

As a native of Maryland, I have enjoyed the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay my whole life. I love hard and soft shell crab. This was my first time actually preparing soft shell crab. The only changes I made to this recipe was to add some Old Bay (it's a Maryland thing)and I used egg white and light milk - very light wash. They turned out PERFECT! Everyone who indulged loved them!

This was a very simple recipe to which I made a few changes. My son & I enjoyed the soft shelled crab, wishing I had bought more to prepare. I added salt, garlic powder, and oregano to flour mixture. Used 2 Tbspn of oil to fry 2 soft-shell crabs. Didn't use milk, only beaten egg before dipping into flour mixture. Will definitely use this recipe again.

I'm the queen of soft shell crabs and look forward to eating them every summer. So far, I've eaten about ten! I normally just dredge my crabs in seasoned flour and fry. This was a nice change and I really enjoyed these little critters. For added flavor I did season the flour with garlic and onion powders and a bit of cayenne. If you've never eaten one, give this a shot and please note that any good fish market will happily clean the crabs for you. Thanks WesBryant and happy eating!

These were GREAT! Be careful though--I defrosted mine in water because I was in a hurry--some of the legs and claws fell off as I was battering. Next time I will make enough time to defrost slowly. I added Old Bay as well as others had. Eat immediately after preparing!

I made these last night as it was the first time I was able to get soft-shells at my fish monger's. Just great served on toasted rolls with lettuce and tomato with just a touch of mayo! I seasoned the flour with salt and pepper and a bit of Old Bay seasoning. Yum...

Easy to follow and ingredients I had on hand. They came out crispy and cooked to perfection.

Bro, tastes like happiness in my mouth.

The crabs turned out perfect. We added a little Old Bay seasoning to the flour. Absolutely delicious!

This is my go to recipe for soft shell crabs, I love them!

I tried a sauteed soft shell recipe in olive oil and it was good but this deep fried version was, as Guy would say, "Off the hook". This the only way I will fix them from now on.

I didnt use the milk or flour and it was fantastic

So. . Good. Seasoned the flour, as mentioned in other reviews, and it was excellent.

I followed this recipe, which was excellent. They came out a nice golden-brown. I topped with some tartar sauce that I mixed With Old Bay seasoning. Truly Maryland all the way.

LOVE SOFT-SHELLS! My crabs were already cleaned. Other than that, I had no changes. The cooking time is perfect. Thank you WESTBRYANT for sharing your recipe!