It’s soft-shell crab season and we’re as excited as an awfully excited person with a special reason to be excited! In this delicious recipe our Seafood Merchant, Michael Kanter, has partnered soft-shell crab with a vibrant vegetable medley.

What You’ll Need:
(Makes 2 servings)
4 soft-shell crabs
½ cup milk
1 container of mixed cherry and grape tomatoes
6 stalks of white asparagus
½ shucked fresh garbanzo beans
6 ramps
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Get the ingredients to all our soft-shell crab recipes here.

What to Do:
Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Soak cleaned soft-shell crabs in milk for 10 minutes.

Clean root end of ramps and any loose skin from root.

Place shucked garbanzo beans in a pot with one cup of cold water, salt, and a sprig of fresh thyme or parsley (if available).

Bring to a simmer and drain.

Peel the asparagus. Blanch until tender in well salted water, remove and shock in ice water. Cut into 2 inch pieces.

Toss the tomatoes in ¼ cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place into a pan and place in the oven. Allow tomatoes to cook until tender and slightly blistered. Remove from the oven and add vinegar. Toss well.

Remove crabs from milk and dry on a paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper.

Dust with flour, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in a pan under medium high heat.

Place crabs in pan one at a time, top shell-side down. Be careful of splattering oil. Sauté, gently shaking the pan occasionally for 2 minutes. Turn over the crabs and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from pan and place on a paper towel.

Wipe pan out and return to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan. Place ramps in the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add chickpeas and asparagus to pan, sauté another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and arrange on your plates. Place crabs on top of the vegetables and top with the roasted tomato vinaigrette.