By Allston McCrady | June/July 2009 | 

Soft-Shell Crabs

Ditch the claw crackers and dig in

There’s no more highly anticipated treat in the South than soft-shell crabs, the culinary darlings of summer. Beginning in the late spring in the Chesapeake Bay (or earlier in the Deep South), blue crabs start shedding their shells so they can grow, rendering them—for a short time—fully edible, spindly legs and all.

Just after molting, the crabs bury themselves in mud or hide in eelgrass, so crabbers harvest them beforehand and place them in holding tanks according to their expected shed dates: “peelers” (days away) or “busters” (hours away). The prized critters are most often fried or sautéed, giving them a slightly crisp texture. Chef Bryan Caswell of Houston’s Reef restaurant likes to flash-fry his “softs” in a light tempura and serve them in a garlic and pepper sauce with an avocado and radish salad.

The G&G Guide to Soft-Shell Crabs

The Bottom Line:
Crabbers look for a telltale line along the crab’s backfin that changes from white to red just before molting.
Crunch Time:
After molting, removing the crab from water stops its new shell from hardening. Once its shell begins to harden, the crab is called a “papershell” or a “tinback.”
Read the Signs:
Live is always best. Ask your fishmonger to run his finger over the soft shells, and look for subtle movements or tiny bubbles by the mouth.
Bread Winner:
Slap a lightly fried soft-shell crab between two slices of white bread, with mayo and a ripe tomato, and you’ve got a “spider sandwich” or a “bug po’boy.”