Yield: 4 portions

Ingredients:

Crabs:
(8) 4-ounce fresh Maryland softshell crabs, cleaned
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Heart of Palm Salad:
6 hearts of palm, sliced
2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced into thin wedges
1 bunch arugula lettuce, washed and stemmed
4 sprigs cilantro, leaves only
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste

Eggplant Coulis:
1 small eggplant, cut off root end, peel and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ onion, peeled and sliced
½ carrot, peeled and diced small
2 cups chicken broth, low sodium

Method:

1. Eggplant Coulis: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan. Add onions, garlic and carrots and sweat until clear, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggplant and stir over a moderate heat until caramelized. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When chicken broth is half-reduced, puree mixture with hand blender for about 60 seconds until a soft, silky consistency is formed.
2. Heart of Palm Salad: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Crab — To Clean: Using scissors, slice off the head area of the crabs. Peel back the semi-hard shell, clip around the body and remove. Slice off last knuckle on all of the smaller legs. Peel back the center of bottom shell. Slice off and discard. Pull both sides of top flesh back and remove the lungs.
4. Crab — To Cook: Season with cracked black pepper. Sear in a hot nonstick sauté pan until golden and crispy on one side. Turn over and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 2 to 4 minutes. Time depends on the size of the crabs.
5. To Plate: Place heart of palm salad in the center of the plates. Surround with eggplant coulis and top salad with two softshell crabs per plate. Enjoy.

Nutritional Value Per Portion —
Calories: 315 Protein: 53.0g Carbohydrates: 18.9g Fat: 5.5g