Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Pickled Ramps:
• 4 ounces red wine vinegar
• 4 ounces water
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
• 1 bunch ramps, cleaned
  
  Shitake Vinaigrette:
• 8 ounces large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 4 ounces sesame oil, plus 1 Tablespoon for drizzling
• 2 large shallots
• 2 ounces rice wine vinegar
• 2 ounces mirin
• 4 ounces soy sauce
  
  Crabs:
• 4 jumbo soft shell crabs, cleaned
• Grape seed oil
• Chopped chives and chive blossoms

Method:
Pickled Ramps:
Place the red wine vinegar, water, garlic, herbs and spices in a sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Add cleaned ramps and allow to cool at room temperature. Transfer to a separate container for storage in the refrigerator.

Shitake Vinaigrette:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the shitake mushrooms and shallots in a shallow pan and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before cutting both into a small dice. Mix the mushrooms and shallots with the rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil. Vinaigrette should be very chunky.

Soft Shell Crabs:
Cut each crab in half and season with salt and white pepper. Add grape seed oil to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook crabs until crisp, about 2 minutes per side.

To Assemble and Serve:
Arrange two crab halves on a plate and sauce with the shitake vinaigrette and a couple pieces of pickled ramp. Finish with chopped chive and chive flowers.

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