Instructions: Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large shallow dish. Dredge crabs in seasoned flour, tapping off excess; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and oil to skillet. When butter has melted, add crabs and cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

Make the Celeriac Salad while crabs cook. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, cornichons, capers, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Fold in tarragon and parsley; set aside.

Slice celeriac, using a Japanese mandoline fitted with the julienne blade, into 1/8-inch-thick strips into a large bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture, and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer crabs to a prepared baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

This recipe yields 2 to 4 servings.

Comments: The term "soft-shell" refers to the brief twenty-four-hour periods in a crabs life when it casts off its shell to grow a larger one. The frequency of this process depends on the size of the crab, but for larger crabs, it generally occurs every twenty to fifty days. In order to sell the crabs fresh, they must be brought to market quickly and are often sold frozen in the soft state.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.