Appetizers Recipes - Soft Shell Crabs with Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 small soft-shell crabs, thawed if frozen

• 50g/2oz/1/2 cup plain (all-purpose) flour

• 60ml/4 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large fresh red chilies, or 1 green and 1 red, seeded and thinly sliced

• 4 spring onions (scallions) or a small bunch of garlic chives, chopped coarse

• sea salt and ground black pepper

To serve:

• shredded lettuce, mooli (daikon) and carrot

• light soy sauce

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Pat the crabs dry with kitchen paper. Season the flour with pepper and coat the crabs lightly with the mixture.

2. Heat the oil in a shallow pan until very hot, then put in the crabs. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the crabs are golden brown but still juicy in the middle. Drain the cooked crabs on kitchen paper and keep hot.

3. Add the sliced chilies and spring onions or garlic chives to the oil remaining in the pan and cook gently for about 2 minutes.

4. Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt, then spread the mixture on to the crabs. Mix the shredded lettuce, mooli and carrot together.

5. Arrange on plates, top each portion with two crabs and serve, with light soy sauce for dipping.

Note: If fresh soft-shell crabs are unavailable, you can buy frozen ones in Asian supermarkets. Allow two small crabs per serving, or one if they are large. Adjust the quantity of chili according to your taste.

Cook's Tip: Don't overcrowd the pan when cooking the crabs. Rather cook them in two or three batches.