Ingredients
12 medium soft shell crabs
3 c. light oil
2 cups milk and 2 eggs or just 2 cups buttermilk
4 cups fish fry or seasoned corn flour
2 cups seasoned flour
salt, granulated garlic, red-white-black pepper to taste, thyme and basil.
3 large tomatoes
2 eggplant
Béarnaise Sauce
To prepare Tamale Balls, Wash crabs thoroughly under cold water. Lift the end points on the crabs and remove the gills (dead man). Wash again. flip crab over and remove the back flap. Wash again. Cut off
the mouth and cut out the eyes and eye stems. Wash again. Let crabs drain in colander about 30 minutes to drain. Season them with salt, peppers, basil, thyme and garlic.
Peel and slice eggplant, soak eggplant in salted water about 30 minutes. If you have a grill, thickly slice tomato and grill the slices, keep warm. If you have no grill, just lightly warm them in a buttered sauté pan. Fry the eggplant by dipping in eggwash or buttermilk and seasoned flour. Dip crabs in egg wash then corn flour, shake off, repeat then pan fry in 375 degree oil. Place two eggplant slices on the plate, top with grilled tomato, then the
crab, top with béarnaise sauce.