Soft Shell Crab Recipe

Ingredients
Soft shelled crabs
Salt
Pepper
Bread crumbs
Egg
Fat

Directions
Clean crabs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs, egg, and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and drain. Being light they will rise to top of fat, and should be turned while frying. Soft-shell crabs are usually fried.

To Clean a Crab. Lift and fold back the tapering points which are found on each side of the back shell, and remove spongy substance that lies under them. Turn crab on its back, and with a pointed knife remove the small piece at lower part of shell, which terminates in a point; this is called the apron.

Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, 1896

How to cook devilled crabs

Ingredients
1 cup chopped crab meat
1/4 cup mushrooms finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup White Stock
Yolks 2 eggs
2 tablespoons sherry wine
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Directions
Make a sauce of butter, flour, and stock
add egg yolks, seasonings (except parsley), crab meat, and mushrooms.

Cook for three minutes, add parsley, and cool mixture.

Wash and trim crab shells, fill rounding with mixture, sprinkle with stale bread crumbs mixed with a small quantity of melted butter.

Crease on top with a case knife, having three lines parallel with each other across shell and three short lines branching from outside parallel lines.

Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, 1896

How to Cook Cold Crabs

Directions
Take the meat out of the shells

Make a dressing that contains : sweet oil, cayenne pepper, salt, mustard and vinegar.

Optional: add some hard-boiled egg yolk, mashed in the oil.

Put the mixture into the back-shells of the crabs, and serve.

Garnish with the small claws laid nicely round.

Source: Directions for Cookery, 1851