New Orleans-Broiled Soft-Shell Crab

1 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons pure olive oil
2 strips bacon, fried crisp, drained, and crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons. salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
6 soft-shell crabs, cleaned and washed
1 large onion, thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat and mix in all the
ingredients except the sliced onion and crabs. While the butter is still
warm, thoroughly coat each crab (including the parts under the shell
flaps) with the mixture. Then place the crabs in the bottom of your
refrigerator - covered - for 3 hours or more. When you're ready to cook,
take the crabs and place them on an oven rack inside a baking pan. Set the
oven to 500 degrees and cook the crabs until they turn succulently tender
(about 10 minutes). During the broiling process the juices will drip from
the crab. Baste the cooking crabs with the drippings periodically to keep
the flavoring in the seafood. I also recommend that you broil the crabs on
both sides, initially with the bottom of the crab facing the broiling
element and finishing with the top shell facing the element. You should
also pierce the crabs twice to keep the pressures from building up inside
the individual chambers.

On an open grill: Simply prepare the crabs the same way you would for
cooking in the oven, including marinating them for 3 hours. Then when
you're ready to cook them, place them on the grill as close as possible to
the heat source (the coals) and cover the grill to keep the intensity of
the heat constant. Remember that some grills cook faster than others, so
keep a close eye on your crabs. When they turn crisp on the outside and
the inside meat is totally white (opaque and bubbly), they're ready to
eat. Do not overcook. Keep basting with the lemon-butter mixture as they
cook. Serve the sliced onions over the crabs as garnish.

Hint: As is the case with fried soft-shells, a good shrimp sauce spooned
over the top of each crab when it's served will further enhance the
flavor. And for a unique experience, grill your soft-shells over a
hickory-chip fire. The delicacy of the crabmeat and the sweetness of
hickory make a good combination.


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