Soft shelled crab, a photo by anam_uk on Flickr.
Oh I love soft-shelled crab, so when my fishmonger had a pile of them, well I just had to buy a couple.
In the top right they are sat in my sink ready to be rinsed off. Our fishmonger is a nice person & had removed the gills, face & tails. That left me with the all important decision, how to cook them. Now I was tempted to go with tempura, but all that mucking about with icy soda water1 was putting me off. So I just dredged them in seasoned flour & chucked them in a hot pan with a bit of chilli & a bit of oil. 2 minutes each side and onto the plate, with a bit of salad, mainly leaves & fennel from the allotment and a very satisfying light lunch2 was just there.
1OK not strictly necessary, but to get a light batter chilled carbonated water is the easiest thing to use
2You eat the whole thing, which is pretty rich. I could probably mange 2, but 1 is an ideal light lunch, half makes a fine appetizer
