St. Sam's and St. Bede's Recipe Pages
                Bon Appetit!
---------------------------------------------

BBQed Crabs Redux

First things first:  

To clean soft shell crabs: 

Remove the "dead man" (the gills) from under the shell - you do this by slicing open 
the shell from the back, since it won't crack open like a hard 'un.  

Remove the eyes, mouth parts and the "sandbag" found immediately under the mouth area.

Wash crabs in cold water and blot dry

Roll crabs in equal parts (by weight) mixture of: 

salt (@ 1/3 cup), 
black pepper (1 cup) and 
fresh chili powder (1 cup). 
   (this is for a dozen or so crabs, adjust accordingly depending 
    on how many you have or can afford to buy)

Fry in deep-fat (375 or so) until they float to the surface (5-7 minutes)

Sauce:  Melted butter (margarine), lemon, teaspoon vinegar, tsp (at least) tabasco, 
and a couple drops of liquid smoke (strange stuff, that).

Pour over the crabs and serve hot.

And yes, Grace, you eat the whole thing....

- pax -
Andrew H. Auld; Lockport, NY