Recipe: Crispy soft shell crab
Magical Malaysian is Norman Musa’s love letter to everything that is beautiful about Malaysian cuisine. From well-known classics and simple snacks to meals for special occasions. One of our favorites? These soft shell crabs.
Norman: ‘Soft shell crabs (literally: crabs with soft shells) are caught as soon as they start molting, meaning they shed their old shell for a new one, before the new shell has had time to harden. If you cannot find fresh soft shell crabs, choose the frozen variety – easy to find in Asian supermarkets or toko’s. They are available in different sizes. My favorite size is jumbo size – the bigger the better, and with plenty of meat on them. Once fried, they are wonderfully crispy and you can eat the whole crab.’
Preparation
- Put the cornmeal, white pepper and salt in a bowl and mix everything well.
- In another bowl, rub the crabs all over with the sesame oil.
- Then dip the crabs in the egg white and finally coat them in the flour. Make sure they are well covered with flour all over. Shake the crabs briefly over the bowl to remove the excess flour and place them on a plate.
- Heat a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. Make sure the oil gets very hot, otherwise the flour-and-egg coating around the crabs will not become crispy. Test the temperature by putting a little of this coating into the oil – if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
- Fry the crabs 2 or 3 at a time and allow 4 minutes per batch, or until their exterior is beautifully brown and crispy. The fewer crabs you fry at once, the shorter the frying time.
- Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and serve immediately. Serve them as a starter, a snack with drinks or a bite in between, and serve with sweet chili sambal.
Title: Magical Malaysian
Author: Norman Musa
Price: €29,99
Publisher: Podium
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