Soft-Shell Crabs With Spiced Cucumber Salad

• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons sriracha or other red chili paste
• 6 to 8 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 13 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1/4 cup minced, seeded red or green chilies, or a mixture
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• 2 large eggs
• 23 cup chickpea flour
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 8 jumbo soft-shell crabs
• 8 lightly toasted hamburger buns, optional

1. Place cucumbers in a colander, toss with salt and set over a bowl to drain.
2. Mix mayonnaise and sriracha, and set aside in a small serving dish.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a small skillet and add mustard seeds.
4. When sizzling, add ginger, shallots and chilies.
5. Saute until shallots soften.
6. Remove from heat, add vinegar and stir.
7. Rinse and drain cucumbers, place in a shallow serving bowl and fold in shallot mixture.
8. Sprinkle with mint.
9. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water.
10. Mix chickpea flour and curry powder, and spread on a plate.
11. Dip crabs in egg, then in flour mixture.
12. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet.
13. Add crabs and saute over medium-high heat until lightly browned, turning once.
14. You may need two shifts.
15. Remove from pan and arrange on cucumber salad.
16. Serve, with red chili mayonnaise on the side, or serve on buns spread with mayonnaise and piled with salad.

cucumbers, salt, mayonnaise, sriracha, grapeseed oil, brown mustard seeds, ginger, shallots, green chilies, rice vinegar, fresh mint, eggs, chickpea flour, curry powder, crabs, buns

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012515 (may not work)