Every summer when I was growing up we would go to the beach for vacation. One activity that we enjoyed doing at the beach was crabbing. We would go to the bayside of the island and tie some chicken legs to our crabbing cage and then toss the thing into the water. We would wait about 15 minutes and then pull in the line to see what we caught. I still remember it fondly. Any keepers that we caught ended up in the steamer and were eaten with drawn butter. The crab meat was so sweet and tasty.
Today, I am presenting this soft-shell crab sandwich as a memory of that family tradition that we did together. I also want to thank @jaybird for hosting this contest! I am having so much fun with this!
Ingredients
- Soft-shell crabs
- fennel and fennel fronds
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- dijon mustard
- tartar sauce
- brioche buns
Make sure your crabs are still alive when you buy them.
Once you clean them by removing the lungs, face and the flap on the bottom, grill the crabs.
Start the assembly. Spread tartar sauce on the toasted brioche bun. Then add some fennel slaw.
Make sure to add a thick layer of the slaw. The flavor of fennel slaw with anise, lemon, olive oil and mustard go so well with the grilled crab.
Next add your grilled crabs. Add two crabs for extra crunch and flavor. The crab is actually the crunchy texture in this sandwich. Make sure the sandwich is loaded with crab!
Top it off with your toasted brioche lid and enjoy!
A glass of IPA and some Old Bay chips complete the meal.