Soft Shell Crab Sushi Roll Recipe – You Will Definitely Love

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The soft shell crab sushi is fried tempura-style and rolled with vegetables. It’s a popular option for those who cannot eat raw fish or other people who just don’t like raw sushi rolls.

Soft Shell Crab Sushi Roll

Soft Shell Crab Sushi is filled with soft-shell crab tempura, cucumber, and carrots then rolled in nori seaweed sheet and sushi rice. The crab legs look like spider legs, which gave this tasty roll its name. The Spider Roll does not have any raw fish, making it ideal for those who simply do not like raw sushi. Serve it as an appetizer or snack with wasabi and soy sauce.

Ingredients to Make Soft Shell Crab Sushi Roll

• 8 soft shell crabs
• 2-3 avocados cut into long strips
• 2-3 small cucumbers peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 package alfalfa sprouts cut into smaller segments
• 8 seaweed sheets
• 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
• 1 cup iced water
• 1/2 cup gluten free flour plus more for coating
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Ice water bath (fill larger bowl than the one that will be used for the batter with ice and some water)
• oil for deep frying
• gluten free tamari wasabi (optional) and spicy mayo (optional) for serving

Instructions to Make Soft Shell Crab Sushi Roll

Step 1

Place ice water in a large bowl. Gradually pour beaten egg yolk into the ice water, stirring with chopsticks. Add flour, cornstarch and baking powder all at once, lightly mixing with chopsticks until ingredients are loosely combined. Batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the batter bowl into a larger ice bath bowl to keep it cold while frying.

Step 2

Heat the oil (over medium/medium-high) in a small pot to 340 degrees F for seafood. (If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil – if it sinks and immediately rises to the top the oil is hot enough). There should be enough oil so that the soft shell crab is completely submerged.

Step 3

Dip soft shell crab sushi first in flour in the batter, and also drop into the hot oil. Depending on how large your pot is fry 2-3 at a time 3-4 minutes per side, flipping them over in the middle. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat for remaining soft shell crabs.

Step 4

To make the rolls, place the seaweed sheet in front of you, and on the lower 1/3 of the sheet layer avocado, cucumber, alfalfa and soft shell crab cut in half. Start rolling away from you, making sure to tightly hold everything together. Cut into six pieces with a sharp knife. Repeat for remaining ingredients.

(If you have a bamboo sushi rolling mat, cover it in plastic wrap and use that to make the rolls, placing the seaweed sheet on top, layering the ingredients and then rolling away from you, holding the roll tightly together).

Serve with gluten free tamari, wasabi and spicy mayo (a mixture of mayo and Sriracha).

The Difference between Soft Shell Crab Sushi and Hard Shell Crab Sushi

Soft shell crabs are not a different species of crab, but in fact, begin as regular hard shell crabs. These crabs, usually blue hard shell, are referred to as soft shell due to the molting process they go through. When crabs mature and get too big for their shell, they shed their current one to make room for a bigger, new one. In order to do this, the crab uses the water to swell its body, causing its shell to bust, and then carefully climbs out. Once the crab’s shell is off, the soft inner shell is exposed until a new shell forms and hardens a few days later.

The texture of Soft Shell Crab Sushi

Soft-shelled crabs have a delicate texture and also are rich in flavor, making them a tasty treat. Enjoy our Godzilla roll made with soft shell crab, tuna, shrimp, Sriracha, sesame seeds, smelt roe, and eel sauce. Or, try our Spider roll, which includes smelt roe, lettuce, sesame seeds, and eel sauce also.

Relish in the mildly sweet flavor of a hard shell crab in our Yagura roll, mixed with salmon, avocado, eel, sesame seeds, and also eel sauce. Another option is our Sunrise roll made with crab, salmon, avocado, tuna, sesame seeds, and eel sauce.

Notes & Tips

• If you plan on making sushi regularly, buy a bamboo sushi mat or makisu to make sushi rolls
• Always buy your seafood for sushi as fresh as possible from a reputable fishmonger.
• Get your fishmonger to clean and trim the crab ready to cook.
• If you are keen on making sushi, it is good to invest in a rice cooker.
• Let the sushi rice cool completely before rolling the sushi, or else it will collapse.
• For the tempura, use a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point. Canola is a good option. 
• Use a splash screen when frying the crab – because it contains a lot of water, the crab will make the oil spit.
• Sushi rice is very sticky so to stop it from sticking to your fingers, dip your hands in Tezu water. This weak vinegar solution consists of 1 cup of water, 2 TBS of rice vinegar, and 1 TSP of salt, mixed thoroughly.
• Creating a firm sushi roll requires you to squeeze the roll as you roll it. Gently squeeze the roll before releasing and slicing it.

Another recipe Want to Know About Red Dragon Sushi Roll Recipe.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve as an appetizer or snack.
• Soft shell crab sushi rolls are traditionally served with eel sauce.
• Serve wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger also as accompaniments.
• These sushi rolls are delicious with spicy mayonnaise (combine mayo with sriracha sauce).

Substitutions

• Do not substitute other rice for sushi rice – you need the starchy stickiness of authentic short-grain sushi rice to keep the roll together.
• If you can’t find sushi vinegar, you can substitute 1 Tbsp rice vinegar mixed with ½ Tbsp sugar, and warmed together until the sugar dissolves.
• Replace the cucumber with avocado or radish sprouts.
• Substitute the unagi sauce with teriyaki or sweet hoisin sauce.
• For a gluten-free option, replace regular flour with gluten-free flour. Tempura batter is often made with cornstarch anyway.
• Instead of creating rolls, create a hand roll by stuffing a nori sheet with rice, cucumber, carrots, and crab and also rolling it into a cone. Dampen the corners to act as “glue.”

Most Asking Questions

Conclusion

The soft shell crab sushi is fried tempura-style and rolled with vegetables. It’s a popular option for those who cannot eat raw fish or other people who just don’t like raw sushi rolls. Soft shell crabs are not a different species of crab, but in fact, begin as regular hard shell crabs. These crabs, usually blue hard shell, are referred to as soft shell due to the molting process they go through. When crabs mature and get too big for their shell, they shed their current one to make room for a bigger, new one. Soft crabs are simply blue crabs that have recently molted, shedding their hard shells to reveal a paper-thin exoskeleton that hardens within hours. Cooked during that brief and precious time, soft crabs are eaten whole (minus the lungs and eyes) and are prized by some for their tender texture and sweet meat.

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