Cajun-Spiced Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich with Yellow Pepper and Caper Aioli

This is a great first recipe for those timid about cooking soft-shell crabs.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2  yellow bell peppers
• 1/3  cup  light mayonnaise
• 1/4  cup  basil leaves
• 2  tablespoons  capers
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  garlic cloves, peeled
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 4  (5 to 6-ounce) soft-shell crabs, cleaned
• 1  tablespoon  salt-free Cajun seasoning (such as Spice Hunter)
• 1/4  cup  cornmeal
• 4  (3-ounce) pieces Italian bread, cut in half lengthwise and toasted
• 4  curly leaf lettuce leaves
• 4  (1/4-inch-thick) slices red onion

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, and discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel.

Place bell pepper, mayonnaise, basil, capers, salt, and garlic in a food processor; process until smooth.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle crabs with Cajun seasoning. Dredge crabs in cornmeal. Add crabs to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side, gently pressing body and legs against pan.

Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture evenly over each slice of bread. Arrange 1 crab over each bottom half of bread. Top each crab with 1 lettuce leaf and 1 red onion slice. Cover with top halves of bread.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

474 (27% from fat)

Fat:

14.4g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.8g,poly 6.7g)

Protein:

34g

Carbohydrate:

52g

Fiber:

1.4g

Cholesterol:

7mg

Iron:

6.2mg

Sodium:

813mg

Calcium:

80mg