Eat What You Want Day
This has been my philosophy forevah!
I believe in moderation in all THINGS, and I do not believe in denying or excess.
So, when (whoever it is that does these things) decided May 11th is EAT WHAT YOU WANT DAY….Well, I am all in!
Then it hit me.
If I could eat what I want, all day long…What would I choose?
Now I’m in a (fried) pickle…
I KNOW for sure that hubby would choose my buttermilk fried chicken.
The boys would choose my chocolate mahogany cake.
Mallory would choose chicken Caesar salad and Ben and Sam would ask for chicken wings; Spicy for Ben and plain for Sam.
Brooke would pick a wrap sandwich with pickles and Ranch dressing for dipping and Josh would choose everything!
I mean every THING!
But what would I pick?
Jorj's Favorite Recipes
I love, love breakfast sandwiches, and really love, love my breakfast burrito.
What’s a lunch without leftover chicken salad?
Or a grilled cheese sammie, or a bowl of spicy tomato-basil soup.
But what is my favorite THING?
Sautéed Soft Shell Crabs!
These babies are hard to find and that’s why you don’t often see them in the store or on the menu. Soft shell crabs are crabs that are molting, which is when the hard shell of the crab grows about 30 percent. They have to shed their old shell and when they exit that shell, they are soft for about 2 to 3 hours. Then their shell starts to turn hard again.
This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat. To clean the crab you remove the mouthparts, the gills, and the abdominal cover, which are discarded. What’s left is the edible part of the crab which is typically deep-fried or sautéed.
Fresh soft shells are only available for a brief time each year. The season is traditionally marked with the first full moon in May. At that time, the blue crab begins its molting season to accommodate its summer growth. The actual shedding of the shell can take anywhere from one to three hours. You have to catch the crab right then and there or else the hardening process will continue, reducing the quality of the soft-shell crab.
So, May is the month! Maybe (whoever it is that does these things) knew this all along! Eat What You Want starts NOW. My search for fresh soft shell crabs is on.
Sautéed Soft Shell Crabs
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 4 medium soft-shell crabs, cleaned, rinsed, and patted dry.
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ stick, divided
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Juice of I lemon, about 3 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Lemon wedges
Directions
Place the flour in a pie dish or plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil and I tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Add the crabs in a single layer without crowding; you can do this in batches. Be careful, the crabs tend to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cover to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium and add the wine to the pan. Let the wine cook and reduce by half. Lower the heat to low. Add the butter and capers. Cook for 1 minute. Add the crabs back to the pan. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the caper-butter sauce over the crabs and serve with lemon wedges.
