Pan Sautéed Soft Shell Crabs

A summer time treat, soft shell crabs are available May through September as blue crabs shed their hard outer shells. I like the taste of butter or ghee for the pan sauté but you can use oil if you prefer.

3⁄4 c all purpose flour
3⁄4 c yellow corn meal
2 t kosher salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
1⁄4 t cayenne
12 soft shell crabs, cleaned
4-6 T ghee or unsalted butter
Juice of 1⁄2 a lemon
1 T chopped parsley (or chives)
Lemon wedges for serving

In a shallow pie plate, whisk together the flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Thoroughly dredge each crab in the flour mixture, coating the crab on all sides. Shake off excess and place crabs on a plate.

Heat 4 tablespoons of ghee or butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Add crabs to pan, soft shell side down, being careful not to crowd the pan. You may need to do this in batches. Crabs may pop and splatter so take care and use a splatter guard if you have one. Brown until golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn crabs over, and cook until golden on the second side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer crabs to a paper towel lined plate and season with a little salt. Keep warm.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until browned and nutty. Add parsley and juice of half a lemon and swirl the pan. Pour pan sauce over the crabs, sprinkle with more parsley and serve.