4 softshell crabs, cleaned and dried on paper towels
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup AP flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
oil for frying
1 loaf French bread, cut into 4 portions
Shredded iceberg lettuce
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
Publix French bread
Hot sauce
Tartar sauce, recipe below
Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, place in a shallow container.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal and Old Bay, place in a separate container. One at a time, submerge the crabs in the egg/buttermilk mixture to coat completely. Allow the excess to drip off and then dredge in the flour mixture, making sure to coat the crab evenly. Shake off any excess.
Set aside on a parchment-lined platter until ready to cook and continue breading the remaining crabs.
Heat your oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot to 350˚F. You want enough oil to come about ½-inch up the side of the pan. Once the oil is hot, fry the crabs 1 to 2 at a time (depending on the size of you pan) until golden brown and crispy and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes on both sides, set aside on a pan lined with paper towels to drain and season lightly with salt.
Layer your tartar sauce laden bread with all the fixin’s you like, topped off with the crunchy crabs; if you like hot, shake some hot sauce right on the crabs!!
Tartar Sauce
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons pickles, chopped
Whisk together all ingredients. Serve with your po’ boys.