. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Soft-shell crabs come battered and fried Ask a coastal cook how she or he prepares soft-shell crabs and the answer is almost always the same: fried. From posh restaurants in New Orleans to the down-home kitchens in Dare County, cooks batter and fry the soft-shell crab. "Frying is the only way," says 77-year-old Helen Scar- borough of Manteo. "And that's the way we've always fixed our soft ; Scarborough cleans her crabs, then salts and peppers them. She dips the crabs in a batter m
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Soft-shell crabs come battered and fried Ask a coastal cook how she or he prepares soft-shell crabs and the answer is almost always the same: fried. From posh restaurants in New Orleans to the down-home kitchens in Dare County, cooks batter and fry the soft-shell crab. "Frying is the only way," says 77-year-old Helen Scar- borough of Manteo. "And that's the way we've always fixed our soft ; Scarborough cleans her crabs, then salts and peppers them. She dips the crabs in a batter made of evaporated milk and flour (Occasionally an egg is added). Then Scarborough drops the crabs in hot, deep fat, frying them to a golden brown. While it seems everybody prefers soft crabs fried, cooks do differ in their choice of batters. Emma Avery, a Carteret County cook, coats her crabs with an egg-and- flour batter. No milk. Collington shedder Murray Bridges says he dredges his soft crabs in flour only. "The flour holds in the moisture while frying," he says. Sherry Creech, manager of The Charter Restaurant in Morehead City, says cooks there salt and pepper the soft-shells before thoroughly coating them with flour. Photos by Steve Wilson "Flour is the best coating for soft-shells," she says. "Flour has a lighter texture than cornmeal and it retains less grease. And because flour provides a more even coating than cornmeal, it holds in more moisture. "And we never fry soft-shell crabs in the same grease we fry any of our other seafoods. Soft-shell crabs will pick up the stronger flavors of other seafoods if they're cooked in the same ; Creech says The Charter does broil soft-shell crabs and occasionally grills them for customers who request it. For broiling, the crabs are rubbed with oil, sprinkled with minced garlic and topped with seasoned bread crumbs, Creech says. Broiling sometimes makes the top shell tough, Creech says, and t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
