Fried Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich

So D knows I love Soft-Shells.  You can pretty much get them frozen all year round but frozen makes for tiny little suckers.  However, they are cleaned for you.

So our freezer is full, and we were trying to make room, and saw we had 4 more servings of crab. D found this recipe.  He always broils them with hot sauce for me, but I agreed to have them fried this time, except not really. He replaced the 2 Cups of oil with 2 TBSP of oil.

If you are trying to figure out the Nutritional Information, you will be left with about half the flour and half the panko.

So they weren't deep fried but they were very good. A good crunch and flavorful.

Would have again.  We were going to have with a salad, but the lettuce was iffy, so we had with fries.

Fried Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich

Photo by ALB

4 Servings
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
Sauce 
¼ cup mayonnaise (Hellman's Light)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (for once in our lives we didn't have Old Bay, so Creole Seasoning was used)
Slaw
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 Fresno chile, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise (we have a 3 lb bag of jalapenos so 1 was used).
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Crab And Assembly
Vegetable oil (for frying; about 2 cups) (used 2 TBSP)
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, divided (for once in our lives we didn't have Old Bay, so Creole Seasoning was used)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1¼ cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
4 soft buns, warmed

Preparation
Sauce
Whisk mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and Old Bay seasoning in small bowl.
DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Slaw
Whisk vinegar and mustard in medium bowl. Add cabbage and chile and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper.

Crab and Assembly
Pour oil into a large skillet, preferably cast iron, to a depth of 1/2" and heat over medium-high heat until oil bubbles immediately when a pinch of flour is added. (use 2 TBSP...use your skills or google to learn how to pan-fry, not deep fry).

Meanwhile, whisk flour, cayenne, and 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning in a shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper. Place eggs into another shallow bowl. Whisk panko and remaining 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning in a third shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Dredge crabs in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip back into bowl. Coat in panko mixture.

Working in 2 batches, place crabs, shell side down, in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 (2 minutes) minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with salt.

Build sandwiches with buns, sauce, crabs, and slaw.