Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Recipe: Soft Shell Crab with Tamarind Glaze

Soft shell crab is in season!

Now is the time for soft shell crab! It's easy to make, delicious, and a fast dish for the summer. The best soft shell crab usually comes from Maryland and is only $3-$5 a piece from your local seafood market and is seasonal and fresh. You can lightly sear it with butter and garlic or olive oil, or you can use my signature dish we feature at Saffron 59. It is one of the traditional recipes that I made while I lived in Saigon, Vietnam.




Recipe
To prepare the crab, simply remove the gill and the claws. Then egg wash- flour, beaten egg
add panko crust then sear each side for 2 minutes

For the sauce,
small chunk of dried tamarind, soaked with 1/2 cup of warm water
then you squeeze the pulp and seeds out to get the juice (set aside)
brown the shallots and add the tamarind juice
season with fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper
bring to a boil

Spoon the sauce over the crab then garnish with fresh slivers of scallion and enjoy!