1½ cups (½ a 750-milliliter bottle) dry white wine
½ stick butter
½ cup rice flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1¼ cups water
4 soft-shell crabs
2 cups toasted pumpkin seeds
Directions
Make the sweet-and-sour black garlic: In a saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until it forms a dark caramel, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the water and vinegar. Add the black garlic and Aleppo pepper, and purée with a hand blender until smooth. Season with salt.
Make the saffron mussel jus: In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, the garlic half and saffron, and gently sweat for about 4 minutes. Add the mussels and wine, cover, and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until all the mussels are open.
Strain the mussels, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Add it to a saucepan with the butter, and using a hand blender, evenly mix all the ingredients. Set aside in a warm place until ready to use. (The mussels and remaining liquid can be served alongside the crabs.) 4. Make the tempura batter: Combine all the tempura ingredients and keep cold until needed. (If you have an iSi canister, transfer the batter, charge twice and keep cold for a lighter texture.) 5. Prepare the soft-shell crabs: Preheat either a deep fryer or a pot of oil to 350°. Clean the crabs by using scissors to cut the faces, gills and tail plates off. Lightly coat the crabs in the batter and fry until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes.
With a pastry brush, liberally brush the black garlic mixture on top of each crab. Roll each crab in toasted pumpkin seeds to completely cover.
Lastly, lightly froth the mussel jus with a hand blender and liberally spoon it around each crab and serve.