Name: Chesapeake Bay Soft-shell Crab “Sandwich”
Yield: Makes 6 Servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ½ cup canola oil; 2 tablespoons Brunoise; 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley; 1 tablespoon minced shallot; 3 tablespoons minced cornichons; 1 tablespoon capers, drained; Canola oil for deep-frying; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 6 brioche croutons; Flour for dusting; Clarified Butter, for panfrying; 6 live soft-shell crabs; ¼ cup baby arugula (or regular arugula cut into chiffonade—long narrow strips); 6 pieces Tomato Confit, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 hard-boiled egg yolks; 2 tablespoons Chicken Stock, heated, or hot water; 3 tablespoons cornichon juice

Preparation info

Makes
6
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The French Laundry Cookbook

By Thomas Keller

Published 1999

About

This is not really a sandwich, of course, but the dish was inspired by my love of traditional soft-shell crab sandwiches heaped with tomatoes and tartar sauce. I’ve refashioned the ingredients of a classic tartar sauce—egg yolks, dill pickles, capers—as hard-boiled yolks, Dijon mustard, and cornichons. On top of the sauce, I put a crouton, then the crab, trimmed down to just its body and claws, then tomato confit, arugula, and fried capers.