Soft-shell crab

Soft-shelled blue crabs in New Orleans, Louisiana
Three soft-shell crabs, ready for preparation, and cooking

Soft-shell crab is a culinary term for crabs that have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft.[1] Soft-shells are removed from the water as soon as they molt or, preferably, just before to prevent any hardening of their shell.[2] Catching soft-shell crab is very time-sensitive and requires that any caught crabs be kept in climate-controlled areas immediately after catching until they molt, at which point they can be safely removed and sold.[3]

This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat.[4] The exceptions are the mouthparts, the gills and the abdominal cover, which are discarded ("cleaned").[5] The remaining, edible part of the crab is typically deep-fried or sautéed.[4]

  1. ^ CiCi Williamson, Garry Pound & Willard Scott (2008). "Shellfish and fish". The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book: Recipes, People, Places. Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 60–87. ISBN 978-0-89732-657-5.
  2. ^ Thompson, Fred (2010). Crazy for Crab: Every Thing You Need to Know to Enjoy Fabulous Crab at Home. ReadHowYouWant.com. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-45876-388-4. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  3. ^ Manton, Keegan (12 November 2021). "Soft-Shell Crab | Can You Really Eat The Whole Thing?". A Life of Mastery. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mouritsen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Tracy Barr (2011). "Soft-shell crabs". Cast Iron Cooking For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 137–138. ISBN 9781118053188.