Crispy Fried Soft-Shell Crab

🛒 Ingredients

• Soft-shell crabs (as many as you want — figure 1 to 2 per person)
• About 1 quart of oil (for deep frying — vegetable or canola oil works fine)
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

🧼 Cleaning the Crabs

1. Gently lift one side of the top shell and remove the gills underneath. Do the same on the other side.
2. Flip the crab over and pull off the little tail flap (it’s called the apron).
3. Use kitchen scissors to snip off the face — just cut right behind the eyes and rinse away any mess.
4. Rinse the whole crab under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

🍳 How to Fry

1. Heat the oil
   Pour enough oil into a deep fryer or a heavy pot to submerge the crabs. Heat it up to 365°F (about 180°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a tiny pinch of flour in — if it sizzles right away, you’re close.
2. Prep the coating
   In one shallow bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. In another, mix the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. Season the crabs lightly with salt too.
3. Dredge and dip
   First, lightly coat each crab in the flour mixture, shaking off any extra. Then dip it into the egg-milk mixture and let the excess drip off. Finally, press it back into the flour so it’s evenly coated on both sides.
4. Fry ‘em up
   Carefully lower the crabs into the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd — do them in batches if needed. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on one side, then flip and fry the other side until golden and crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.