Frugal Friday: Soft Shell Crab

I like most food, but I LOVE seafood.  My favorite restaurant is a seafood place that I went to once on our honeymoon.  I've been there only once, but to this day, I still have dreams about this place.  Old Bay Steamer...

While this is a Frugal Friday post, it is also a recipe post.  A couple months ago I joined a group buying site called Redeemio.  I ended up getting a great deal ($5 for a $20 voucher!) to Locals Seafood, a Raleigh business that provides fresh seafood from the Outer Banks.  I thought I would be bold and try something new, so I got tilefish and...

...soft shell crabs!  I had no idea how to cook them, so I went online and found a recipe on Cooks.com.  I ended up cutting this super easy recipe in half when I made it.

1/2 c. milk

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 t. Tabasco sauce

12 small fresh soft shell crabs

3/4 c. flour

4 T. vegetable oil

2 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 T. shallots, finely chopped

1/2 c. almonds, sliced

2 T. fresh lemon juice

4 T. parsley, finely chopped

In a flat dish, combine the milk, salt, pepper, and Tabasco.  Blend well. Add the crabs, turning them over to coat well with the milk.  Place the flour in a flat dish and remove the crabs from the milk.  Dredge them in the flour and shake to remove any excess flour.

Heat 2 T. of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Place 6 crabs in the pan and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned on one side.  Turn and cook until golden brown on the other side.  Transfer to a warm serving platter and keep warm.  Add remaining vegetable oil to pan and cook remaining crabs.  Pour off fat from skillet and wipe clean with a paper towel.  Add the butter and olive oil, add the shallots and sliced almonds and cook until lightly browned, shaking the pan.  When the oil is bubbling, add the lemon juice and pour the mixture over the crabs.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Here was my finished product, along with some cheese grits and steamed carrots.  And yes, you eat the whole crab since it has a soft shell :)  Success!