Soft shell crabs recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) olive oil
• ½ cup tamarind paste
• ¼ cup (2 ounces) honey
• 2 bacon slices, preferably applewood-smoked, chopped
• 2 plum (roma) tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup (8 ounces) water
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh or pickled jalapeño
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 medium lime juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ cup (4 ounces) ice water
• Pinch of xanthan gum
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water
• 4 cups salted pretzel crumbs (ground in a food processor)
• 4 large soft-shell crabs
• Olive oil for pan frying
• Fresh mint leaves, small frisée leaves, or other small salad greens, for the finished dish

To Prepare the Tamarind Sauce
1. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the tamarind paste, honey, bacon, tomatoes, coriander, and ginger, and cook until thick and caramelized, 10–15 minutes, stirring up from the bottom frequently.
2. Pour in the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the solids. Return the sauce to the pan. Continue simmering the sauce to a maple syrup consistency, probably another 5–10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
To Prepare the Avocado Puree
4. Combine the ingredients in a blender and puree. Scrape the puree out into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
To Prepare the Soft Shell Crabs
5. Whisk the eggs, mustard, and water together in a broad shallow bowl.
6. Place the pretzel crumbs in another broad shallow bowl or on a plate.
7. Dip the crabs first in the egg mixture and soak them for about 1 minute. Then dip each crab into the pretzel crumbs and press to coat them well.
8. Pour a good 1 ½ inches of oil into a large heavy skillet to fry the crabs, in batches, if necessary. Heat the oil to 325°F–335°F.
9. Fry the crabs to golden brown and crunchy, about 2 minutes per side. The crabs contain a good bit of moisture, so watch out for popping oil. Drain the crabs on paper towels. Slice each crab in half, down through the center of the body.
Putting it all Together
10. Spread a mound of avocado puree in the center of each of 4 plates. Arrange 2 crab halves standing on their cut sides, so that the legs are squiggling upward. Drizzle generously with the tamarind sauce, garnish with herbs or greens, and serve immediately.