Tempura Soft Shell Crabs With Asian Salad

Preheat the deep-fat fryer.

For Salad: In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together.

For Soft-shell Crabs: To clean, remove the tail, gills, and eyes. Season with salt and pepper.

For Tempura Batter: Whisk all the ingredients resulting in a smooth batter. Season with salt and pepper. Dip the soft-shell into the tempura batter, shaking off any excess.

Remove the basket from the fryer. Carefully holding the top of the soft-shell, drag the legs through the oil first, for 1 minute. This will allow the individual legs to fry separately instead of together.

Then lay the soft-shell, top side down, into the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden, then flip the soft-shell over and continue frying for additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the fryer and allow to drain on a paper-lined plate.

To assemble, mound the salad in the center of the platter. Arrange the soft-shell around the salad. Drizzle the gastrique over the entire platter.

Garnish with the chopped peanuts, chopped chives, Old Bay seasoning and chives.