Soft-shell crabs with tomato compote

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

The beauty of soft-shell crabs is that, while they're still hard, they can be eaten whole, enjoying the magnificent presentation and the amazing sweet flavor of the juicy crab. One of the most common ways to cook soft-shell crabs is to coat them in cornmeal and pan-fry them until crispy. Cook each crab for no more than 8 minutes on each side to avoid ruining the texture and drying it out. To serve, prepare a roasted tomato compote. Dip and enjoy.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Crabs

8 large fresh soft-shell crabs, washed
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups polenta
1 cup whole milk
Lime wedges, for serving

Compote

1.3 kg medium tomatoes
5 tbsp. l. olive oil
0.5 tsp coriander seeds
0.5 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped peeled ginger
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil and/or cilantro

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: crab meat, tomatoes, polenta, coriander, cumin, basil

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Compote.

Preheat oven to 230°C (430°F). Core the tomatoes and cut them in half crosswise, then squeeze out the seeds. Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly, then peel the skins. Cut the tomatoes into pieces.
In a skillet over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and grind in a spice grinder or chop with a knife. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and ginger, and cook until the garlic begins to darken, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ground coriander, and cumin, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Crabs.

Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the polenta in a baking dish and season with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Pour the milk into a bowl. Dip the crabs in the milk and shake off any excess, then roll them in the polenta and shake off any excess.
Working in batches, fry the crabs, upside down first, for 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Wipe out the pan and add fresh oil before frying the next batch.
Heat the compote and add the herbs. Serve the crabs with the compote and lime wedges.