Recipe supplied by Chef Jeremy at Village Café
Serves: 4
4 each Fresh whale size softshell crabs, cleaned
4 cups rice flour, for dredging (as needed)
4 cups Soda water
Neutrally flavored oil (as needed for frying)
1 cup Dry bulgur wheat
1 bunch Flatleaf parsley
2 ounces Fresh mint leaves
4 each Ripe tomatoes
2 each Lemons
2 ounces Extra virgin olive oil
2 each Avocado
2 cups Balsamic vinegar, reduced until tacky
Iodized salt (as needed)
Kosher salt (as needed)
Freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
Recipe
Soak cleaned softshell crabs in soda water, set aside. Season rice flour as desired with iodized salt, set aside.
Cover bulgur wheat with 2.5 cups very hot water in a mixing bowl larger than the wheat and water require. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and allow wheat to steep for 20 minutes. Unwrap and drain any excess water from wheat.
Place parsley and mint in a food processor and process until herbs are finely chopped, but not pureed. Place chopped herbs in bowl with wheat.
Dice half the tomatoes and add to wheat mixture.
Zest the lemons and add the zest to the bowl, then juice them and add the juice.
Add olive oil and season mixture with kosher salt and black pepper, mix well, and chill.
Halve the avocados, remove the seeds and slice the avocados in their skins. Remove the slices and place half an avocado’s slices between two sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Using a broad plate, press the slices flat so that they are pressed together. Carefully peel the plastic from the top of the pressed avocado and invert onto a serving plate. Carefully remove the remaining plastic. Repeat for the other three halves.
Slice the remaining tomatoes, season, and plate around the pressed avocado. Add a large spoonful of the Tabbouleh wheat mixture. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned rice flour. Dunk them again in the soda water, then back into the rice flour. Deep fry for about two minutes. Place fried crabs atop Tabbouleh, garnish with reduced balsamic vinegar, and serve immediately.