Now I Know How To Prepare Soft Shell Crabs

One of my favorite foods is soft shell crabs. They are usually available from May through September. To me it is one of those foods best left for a restaurant to prepare. That being said, today I was buying salmon at Mt. Kisco Seafood to cook for dinner for my family(yes I do cook) and some of the other customers were buying soft shell crabs. Since I want to know everything I started polling the other patrons on there preparations. The response went from frying , sauteing, grilling,etc. I just had to know. I asked the owner Joe what he thought. I trust him, he owns The Fish Cellar www.fishcellar.com also in Mt Kisco. These are the 2 methods he gave me.

1.Sauteing


Dip crabs in milk

Dredge in flour, salt and pepper

Saute in butter and olive oil

2 minutes on each side


2.Grilling

Let marinate in melted butter

Grill on medium

2 minutes each side


I am going to try one of these tonight.

Who Doesn't Love Latkes

Ask 10 people the best way to make latkes (potato pancakes) for Hanukkah and you'll likely get 10 different answers.

I like to make them fresh so they are nice and crisp. I have not found one good latke recipe that can be made ahead so they are not soggy.
Latkes are traditional fare for Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights that begins at sundown Dec. 11. Many holiday foods such as latkes and donuts are fried in oil, a symbolic ingredient that represents the one-day's supply of oil that burned for eight days and nights when Maccabees rededicated the temple in Jerusalem, taking it back after fighting Syrian soldiers.

I like to serve them as I make them.

This is the recipe I usually use. I found it in a cookbook I purchased as part of a fundraiser for my synagogue. You know what I am talking about. The type of cookbook where they ask you to submit your favorite recipes. I find they are the easiest and most reliable.

POTATO LATKES RECIPE
6 medium-size potatoes
1 onion
2 eggs lightly beaten
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Peel potatoes and onions. Grate by hand . Remove liquid. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat vegetable oil in a fairly large frying pan. Drop by spoonful.
turn when brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.