Sautéed Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches With Pickled Vegetables, Cilantro, and Ginger-Chili Mayo Recipe

Updated March 31, 2025

Each of these large banh mi-style sandwiches is packed with three crispy soft-shell crabs. Daniel Gritzer

Inspired by both the Cantonese dish of crabs sautéed with scallions and ginger, and Vietnamese banh mi, these oversized soft-shell crab sandwiches feature lightly toasted soft baguettes packed with three crisp sautéed soft-shell crabs each, along with ginger-chili mayo, quick-pickled carrots and cucumbers, fresh scallions, and cilantro.

Why this recipe works:

Dredging the crabs in cornstarch and sautéeing them in neutral oil results in crabs with a crisp, shattering shell and clean flavor.
Quick-pickling the carrots and cucumbers in seasoned rice vinegar adds just enough tang while not requiring a lengthy pickling time.

Note: While the pickles are ready in just 25 minutes, they can also be refrigerated overnight before using.

Two Delicious and Easy Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches to Celebrate the Season

Recipe Details

Sautéed Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches With Pickled Vegetables, Cilantro, and Ginger-Chili Mayo Recipe

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Active 20 mins

Soaking Time 25 mins

Total 45 mins

Serves 2 to 4 servings

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Ingredients

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
1 medium cucumber, seeds removed, split lengthwise into 1/4-inch spears
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sambal oelek, Sriracha, or other chili paste
1 (1-inch) piece fresh peeled ginger, finely grated on microplane
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated on microplane
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 large soft-shell crabs, preferably jumbo or "whale" size, cleaned
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Vietnamese-style baguettes, split and lightly toasted, or 1 French baguette, halved, split, and lightly toasted
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced lengthwise
Cilantro leaves and fine stems from 1 bunch, for serving

Directions

Combine carrot, cucumber, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using fingertips, massage salt and sugar into vegetables until dissolved. Add rice vinegar and water and let stand for at least 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, thoroughly mix together mayonnaise, chili paste, ginger, and garlic. Season with salt.
In a shallow bowl, stir together cornstarch with a pinch of salt. Lightly dredge crabs in the seasoned cornstarch.
In a large, wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add crabs, shell-side down, and cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes; be careful, as soft-shell crabs sometimes pop in the pan. Flip crabs and cook until golden and crisp on bottom side, about 3 minutes. Transfer crabs to paper-towel-lined plates.
Drain carrot and cucumber. Spread top and bottom halves of baguettes with ginger-chili mayonnaise. Arrange 3 crabs on each of the bottom halves and top with scallions and pickled carrot and cucumber. Top with cilantro sprigs, close sandwiches, and serve immediately.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
960	Calories
30g	Fat
115g	Carbs
56g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories	960
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g	38%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Cholesterol 198mg	66%
Sodium 2337mg	102%
Total Carbohydrate 115g	42%
Dietary Fiber 6g	21%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 56g
Vitamin C 15mg	73%
Calcium 298mg	23%
Iron 8mg	47%
Potassium 947mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.