Creamy herb linguine with pan-seared scallops

I don’t eat pasta very much (though I eat Asian noodles more often), but it was actually Asian dramas that inspired me to make this dish. How’s that possible, Rice? you might be asking yourself.

Made with fresh herbs from my rooftop garden.

Well, let me tell you.

Soft-shell Crab Sandwich

Growing up in Wisconsin, my mom would periodically bring home blue crabs from the Asian food mart in downtown Madison. The crabs would still be kicking around–nothing but fresh and the best for my mom–and I would gently prod them with a chopstick to see if any of them would make a grab for it. (While I often imagined one of them making a break for it and skittering along our linoleum floors on its way to freedom, this never happened. ) Her method of cooking was clean and steam. She’d remove their shells, scrap off the gills, and put them on plates in the wok, which served as a makeshift steamer, and not long after, we’d have sweet, fresh crab for a summertime feast.

Steamed crabs covered in Old Bay at Costa's Inn, Baltimore, Maryland.

Now that I live in Maryland, though, I’ve learned to eat crabs the Maryland way–which is, steamed whole and covered in a salty, spicy layer of Old Bay seasoning, and thrust onto a table with mallets and knives and cold beer. My first, and probably only crab feast this year happened last weekend, and boy, was it a treat. But it wasn’t to be the only crab I would have even that week. Earlier that morning, the boyfriend and I went to our local farmer’s market and what did we find for sale but soft-shell crabs! While this farmer’s market is sorely lacking in cheeses (if you are ever in Madison, Wisconsin, you must check out their farmer’s market and stock up on squeaky fresh cheese curds) it makes up for it with other local specialties.

Looks like a spider...tastes like a dream.

Now, I’ve never actually worked with crabs before. That was always mom’s jurisdiction. This was a bit daunting. The crabs were still actually alive as we carried our bounty home, and I stuck them in the fridge, a little unsure after the initial food excitement subsided. How the hell was I to clean and prepare these odd little crustaceans?