Almond Crusted Soft Shell Crab With A Fennel And Artichoke Salad With Roasted Almond Puree Recipes

Steps:

• Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Blanch the almonds in boiling water, until the skins peel off.
• Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over moderate heat and cook until it turns light brown and smells nutty. Add the almonds and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, over moderate heat until the almonds begin to color, about 5 minutes, coat and toss in the spice mix thoroughly. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the almonds are medium-brown, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, taste for flavor, add more spice mix or salt, if necessary. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a sheet pan; they will crisp as they cool. Store the cooled almonds in an airtight container at room temperature. (See Cook's Note)
• Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool. Put in a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
• Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
• Taste your chili powder and, if too spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chiles are almost sweet, not hot.

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a shallow dish.
• In a separate shallow dish, combine cornmeal, herb seasoning and salt. Add shrimp to egg whites and turn to coat. Add to cornmeal mixture and turn to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until opaque in the middle and bright pink on the outside.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine artichoke hearts with 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar, white beans and sour cream. Process until smooth. Fold in parsley.
• Serve most of the shrimp over artichoke puree (reserve 8 shrimp for another meal). Squeeze lime juice over shrimp and serve on the side.

Steps:

• Make the curry butter: Put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cloves in a dry skillet over medium heat. When spices are lightly toasted and fragrant, after a minute or so, grind them to a powder in a mortar or electric spice mill. Add nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne and turmeric.
• Put butter in a bowl. Add spices, garlic, ginger, salt and lime zest and juice. Mash seasonings into butter with a wooden spoon. Add crushed almonds and scallions, then mix until well incorporated. (May be prepared several hours ahead, or up to 1 day in advance.)
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons curry butter, let melt and swirl pan to distribute. Dust crabs lightly with rice flour, if using. When butter is foamy, add crabs in one layer and raise heat. Let crabs cook 3 minutes, then turn, using tongs, and cook 3 minutes on the other side. (Be careful, as crabs may spatter.) Remove crabs and keep warm.
• Add 4 tablespoons curry butter to pan and let sizzle. Add pea shoots and cook briefly until wilted, 1 minute or less.
• Arrange crabs on a warm platter or individual plates. Garnish with wilted pea shoots and lime wedges. Spoon melted curry butter from pan over crabs and serve at once.

Steps:

• Trim the stalk away from the fennel and pull away the first layer of each bulb if it's looking tired or bruised. Slice the fennel into rounds as thinly as possible using a sharp knife or, better still, on a mandolin if you have one. Tip the fennel into a bowl and season with a pinch of sea salt. Squeeze over half the lemon juice and drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, then set aside to marinate briefly.
• Tip the crabmeat into another bowl, season lightly, then add the rest of the lemon juice and olive oil, and half the chilli, and mix well. The crab and fennel can be prepared up to 2 hrs ahead and kept in the fridge, but bring the fennel out again 20 mins before serving.
• Mix the parsley and the rest of the chilli with the fennel. Divide between six plates, then top each one with a large spoonful of crabmeat in the middle. Scatter over the fennel fronds, lemon zest and a trickle of olive oil, then serve.

Steps:

• In 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. Shake to remove any excess flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet. Place six 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. The total cooking time is about 6 or 7 minutes depending on the thickness. Transfer to a warm serving platter and keep warm. Add remaining vegetable oil to pan and repeat the procedure with the other crabs.
• Pour off the fat from the skillet and wipe it clean with paper towels. 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.

Steps:

• Season the flour for dredging: mix together flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, paprika and salt in a shallow bowl. Quickly dip both sides of the crabs in flour mixture and shake off excess.
• Put 4 tablespoons melted butter in a large, wide cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is hot, carefully put in the crabs, top side down. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until well crisped and cooked through. Remove crabs to a warmed platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Add 4 more tablespoons melted butter to pan and add sliced almonds. Stir to coat and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add preserved lemon and cilantro and turn off heat.
• Spoon butter sauce over crabs, surround with lemon wedges and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour olive oil into baking dish large enough to hold vegetables in one layer. Place onion, garlic, tomatoes, fennel and thyme in the pan and toss so they are thoroughly coated with oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bake for one hour or until they are soft and almost carmelized.
• Prepare crabs. Dip them in milk, then in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat butter in large skillet and saute crabs, starting with the top side down, for two minutes. Turn over and saute for one and a half to two minutes on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
• Add Pernod or ouzo to the skillet and bring to boil, swirling up the cooking juices.
• Serve crabs on four heated plates. Divide vegetables among four plates and place crabs on the top. Spoon on the cooking juices and garnish with parsley or basil.