We have just spent a couple of days in The Lakes. You might well ask” Where’s That” Actually I have only ever been there twice before, once many years ago, whilst at College in Manchester and once more recently to have dinner at a wonderful 3* restaurant. But you still have no idea where it is. Well, if you look on a map, go to the West side of England, almost in Scotland and there are the Lakes. It is a beautiful Wild, traditional part of England, rolling hills, very green grass, the highest mountain in England , lots of sheep And the wettest place in England. It certainly lived up to this reputation during our visit.

The Lakes and the villages which surround them have the most wonderful names, such as Ullswater, Coniston Water, Derwent Water,Grasmere, Foxes Tarn, Windermere, Grizedale,and Satterthwaite,there are loads, some are big others not so, but many are named, Water, Tarns and Meres! We went to Windermere, which is the longest of the Lakesat 11 miles long. Some intrepid swimmers rise to the challenge in the summer to swim the length of some of these lakes, including one of my daughters! Not content with the smaller lakes of Coniston and Ullswater she will be “Doing “ Windermere this summer !

However, we will quite by chance be there, as we have rented a house for a family gathering and we were in Windermere to have a “Recce”, look at adventures to be done and food to be eaten.

Restaurants as such, in Windermere itself proved to be a tad difficult, cafe style or too small for a large group. However, one cafe, for which one had to queue outside in the rain, was very good indeed, small again and BUSY, and the best Bacon Sandwich EVER! I had forgotten that “Up North” it is not called a Sandwich, a roll or a Bap but a SARNIE! And I went to Cooks School in Manchester, I should have known better.!

So we didn’t find the ideal spot for a family of 13, but we did test out one small eatery called “Hooked”, and yes it was a seafood restaurant. On the menu was Soft Shell Crab and mussels, and even though we generally try order different dishes from one another, this time we did not. We both love Soft Shell Crab and Mussels and the crabs are rarely seen on the menu in the UK, so for us, this was a first. The Crabs were wonderful but a little disappointed with the mussels, they needed some oomph! Garlic onions, chilli or something to lift it, as such a bit bland, but great chips!

So what are Soft Shell Crabs? They are Blue Swimmer Crabs, which have shed their hard shells and are waiting for their new shell to harden. Their habitat has traditionally been the USA eastern Seaboard but nowadays also in the Mediterranean. Given that the period of going from Soft to hard is a mere 24 hours it is imperative that they are shipped quickly, hence the normal way to buy Soft Shell Crabs is FROZEN! And this is what I was able to do this week in London.

The most important thing before cooking the frozen crabs, is to let them throughly defrost and drain them in a sieve or colander. Very simple to cook though, the ones we had in the restaurant were cooked in a traditional batter, but I decided to cook mine in a lighter batter, a Tempura batter. Tempura batter is easy to make but even easier if you buy a packet ! Then all you need to do is to add the correct quantity of water and whisk. It always say ICE COLD, but given that it comes from a steamy hot country no sure that they would use Ice Cold ( I just run the tap and get Cold water).

Heat some oil in your deep pan or wok, test by throwing in a bit of bread, and when it sizzles the oil is ready to use! Keep an eye on the oil ( and beginners at oil frying should keep a damp towel on hand just in it should over heat and burst into flames…….. just a word of warning)! When the oil is ready, dip the crabs into the batter and pop into the oil. Fry, turning once until a golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve as they are or on salad.

Having decided to make my Fried Soft Shell carbs, I got to thinking about Po’Boys! Simply because soft shell crabs are readily available in Louisiana and so are Oyster Po’Boys. Basically a sandwich to you and me but here they are made with fried oysters or shrimp is another favourite. And not what we in Europe call Shrimp! Shrimp in the southern USA are large, but are not prawns. ( the word prawn is almost obsolete in the USA).The most delicious shrimp are the small brown ones very common in Belgium, but here in the UK ridiculously expensive! However, Shrimp / prawns are readily available frozen, especially in the Asian food stores and it is these larger ones that are used in Louisiana for Shrimp Po’Boys. However, I bought frozen oysters, which are readily available and are perfectly suitable for any cooked oyster dish.

Very simply, defrost the oysters, in a sieve so that they drain. Pat dry on paper towel and repeat the batter / drying as before. I bought “Posh” hot dog buns, ie brioche hot dog buns.

Fill them with some mayonnaise or spicy mayonnaise ( Nando’s Perinaise) chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes etc and then top with the fried oysters ( shrimp)! Oysters nowadays are considered a luxury, whereas they were once the food of the poor. There is a myth that Oysters are spawned out of the Thymus gland of mating Whales! And as Whales are very passionate when mating, that has given rise to the myth that Oysters are an Aphrodisiac! Not true I’m afraid, but Oysters can change their sex?? Yes they can! They start of as males, after about a year they decided that being a female is the better deal, AND if they live long enough, then decide it is better to be Male! And if they live in warmer climes, they simply can not make up their minds and change quicker than I can change my socks! The Oysters life is a bed of Oysters, but unfortunately not a bed of Roses! As well as humans , Starfish, Rays and Crabs, just love eating Oysters ( their own little oyster bar !