Soft-Shell Crabs With Black-Bean Sauce

• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 8 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup Chinese black-bean sauce, available in supermarkets
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili paste
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 4 scallions, trimmed and minced

1. Combine the milk and Tabasco in a bowl.
2. Set aside.
3. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow pan.
4. Dip the crabs in the milk and dredge in flour mixture.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Place the crabs in the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Turn and cook until tender, about 2 more minutes.
8. Drain on paper towels.
9. Drain the fat from the pan.
10. Return the skillet to the stove.
11. Pour in the white wine, black-bean sauce, hoisin sauce, chili paste and ginger.
12. Turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
13. Pour sauce over crabs.
14. Sprinkle scallions on top.
15. Serve immediately.

milk, tabasco, flour, salt, fresh ground pepper, shell, sesame oil, white wine, chinese blackbean sauce, hoisin sauce, chili paste, ginger, scallions

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9216 (may not work)