Soft Shell Crayfish

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It is not often that something new comes along. Alright, so maybe soft shell crayfish are not new, but it has been at least 5 years since I last saw them. In the early 90's more than a dozen operations were set up to produce these crayfish. Unfortunately the economics of it did not pan out for most. There is a lot of waiting and intensive labor involved to bring soft shell crays to market. The range of sales for them has been limited to a few hundred miles of origin because of low yields and limited marketing. I recently purchased a good amount from the producer being only second in volume to Buckhead Beef in Atlanta I was told.

I took home a couple dozen in the spirit of quality control, cooked them simply and was very happy with the resulting dish.

Soft Shelled Crayfish with Sun dried Tomato and Anchovy Mayonnaise

2 dozen soft shelled crayfish
1 cup flour
paprika, old bay, salt & pepper as desired
neutral oil for frying

for the dipping sauce
1/4 cup mayo
2 pieces sun dried tomato
2 small fillets anchovy

Blot excess moisture from thawed crayfish, combine sifted flour with dry seasonings, dust whole crayfish(no cleaning is needed) in mixture and cook in hot oil 1-2 minutes per side. Lightly salt cooked crays.

Process the ingredients for the mayo in a food processor or with a hand held blixer.

Enjoy. I kept it simple so you can add your own spin. The possibilities are endless.

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