Sauteed Soft Shell Crab with Leek & Butter Sauce

This post is a little overdue... I don't think soft shell crabs are still in season... definitely scoop them up if you find them at your local store! Usually, soft shell crabs are sold pre-cleaned but if not, there are plenty of videos on the internet on how to clean them.


INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup milk
4 small soft shell crabs, cleaned
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbs olive oil
2 1/2 tbs butter

for the sauce
1/4-1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 small leeks, finely sliced (white and light green parts)

METHOD:
In a shallow bowl, soak the soft shell crab in the milk in a single layer for 1 hour. Drain and discard the milk. In a shallow plate, mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Dredge each crab in the flour.  In the meantime, heat the oil and butter together in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and saute the crabs until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Pop crab in the oven at a very low heat to just keep warm for a couple of minutes.

for the sauce
Add 1/2 tbs butter to the same pan.  Sautee the leeks for about 3 minutes until soft.  Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and add the parsley.  Stir frequently.

Serve the crab immediately with mashed potatoes.  Serve the sauce either on top of the potatoes or the crab... or both.

Crab recipe (not the sauce) adapted from this one on Epicurious.