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The ultimate soft shell crab sandwich keeps it simple and simply perfect in all the right ways. It utilizes just a few top-shelf ingredients — brioche bun, perfectly ripe tomato, soft leaf lettuce, and Japanese mayo (or regular mayo if you insist) — so your gorgeous sautéed crab can take center stage.
Why we love this recipe
The goal of any soft shell crab recipe is to gently augment the crab while basically just letting it shine, shine, shine. This ultimate sandwich does just that. It’s got:
- A perfectly crisp outside, tender inside sautéed soft shell crab
- Brioche, i.e. the best bun there is
- A beautiful tomato slice
- Crisp spring lettuce
- Umami-powerhouse Japanese mayo
All that, and it’s ready in under 20 minutes, with not a single complicated step.
I first published this recipe here in 2018. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Soft shell crabs are like crabs and potato chips all in one. And they’re quick and easy to cook at home, promise. They’re not a different variety of crab but rather creatures of a moment in time. These crabs have recently molted, and their new shells are still so soft as to be edible. Buy very fresh crabs from a source you trust, and ask the fishmonger to clean them for you. Learn more about them here.
- You can use any sandwich roll that you like, but I’m a big fan of brioche hamburger buns for a quick and easy way to level up.
- Regular mayo is fine, but Japanese mayo is better. Kewpie is creamier, tangier, and more umami-fied than American mayo. It’s made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs and has a slightly thinner consistency.
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make the ultimate soft shell crab sandwich. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Dredge the cleaned soft shells in the flour until they’re lightly coated.
- Heat the oil and butter and then add the crabs shell-side down. Cook for five minutes on the first side, then flip and cook about three minutes more. Be careful — they spatter sometimes toward the end of cooking.
- You don’t really need me to tell you how to make a sandwich, but here we go. Toast the bun if you like. Place one crab onto the bottom half of each bun. Layer on tomato and lettuce.
- Spread some mayo onto the top half of each bun. Close sandwich and serve!
Expert tips and FAQs
Start with cleaned crabs. Have the fishmonger clean them for you, or do this. (Warning: one of the steps is “snip the face off.” Just so you know.)
Sprinkle some all-purpose flour onto a plate and dredge each crab through the flour until it’s lightly covered.
Use a heavy 12-inch pan for nice, predictable, even cooking. I really like these simple and inexpensive seasoned Lodge cast iron skillets. They’re versatile and last forever.
In a little oil (for its high smoke point) and a little melted butter (for flavor), you’ll cook the crabs over medium heat. Add the crabs belly up in a single layer. Cook for five minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for three minutes on the other side.
They’ll be crisp and golden brown outside and perfectly cooked through on the inside. That’s it!
It only takes about 20 minutes to put this recipe together, so I prefer to make it right before serving.
That said, these sandwiches also make great picnic food. Feel free to prep, pack, and picnic. If you have leftovers, store them tightly sealed in the fridge for a day or two max.
More favorite ways to devour them
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Soft Shell Crab Sandwich
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (30 grams) flour
- 2 large cleaned soft shell crabs
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter
- 2 brioche hamburger buns
- Kewpie mayonnaise, to taste
- 2 center slices from a large, beautifully ripe tomato
- 2 leaves soft lettuce
Instructions
- Sprinkle the flour onto a plate and dredge each crab lightly in the flour.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crabs belly up in a single layer. Cook for five minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for three minutes on the other side.
- Lightly toast brioche buns. I like to do this in the toaster oven, but you could do it right in the pan after removing the crabs if you like.
- Spread some Kewpie mayo (or regular mayo if you insist) onto the inside of the top bun. Layer crab, tomato, and lettuce onto bottom bun.
- Close sandwich and serve.
Notes
- Soft shell crabs are like crabs and potato chips all in one. And they’re quick and easy to cook at home, promise. They’re not a different variety of crab but rather creatures of a moment in time. These crabs have recently molted, and their new shells are still so soft as to be edible. Buy very fresh crabs from a source you trust, and ask the fishmonger to clean them for you. Learn more about them here.
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- For a dairy-free version of this recipe, simply omit the butter and double the oil.
- You can use any sandwich roll that you like, but I’m a big fan of brioche hamburger buns for a quick and easy way to level up.
- Regular mayo is fine, but Japanese mayo is better. Kewpie is creamier, tangier, and more umami-fied than American mayo. It’s made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs and has a slightly thinner consistency.
- It only takes about 20 minutes to put this recipe together, so I prefer to make it right before serving. That said, these sandwiches also make great picnic food. Feel free to prep, pack, and picnic.
- If you have leftovers, store them tightly sealed in the fridge for a day or two max.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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from an old md.shore man, add a little old bay seasoning to the flower, and we always fry in bacon grease, bacom makes everything great.