Soft-shell crab is a

culinary Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

term for

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

s that have recently molted their old

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

and are still soft. Soft-shells are removed from the water as soon as they molt or, preferably, just before to prevent any hardening of their shell. 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. This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat. The exceptions are the mouthparts, the

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

s and the abdominal cover, which are discarded ("cleaned"). The remaining, edible part of the crab is typically deep-fried or sautéed.

Regional cuisine

In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the main species is the blue crab, ''

Callinectes sapidus ''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of t ...

'', which appears in markets from April to September. In the Deep South region of the United States, most notably the Gulf coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, "Buster crab" can be a synonym for a plump, meaty soft-shell crab. (" Buster Crabbe" was a famous movie star, known for playing Flash Gordon). However, the original meaning of Buster crab referred to either a soft-shell that had yet to complete molting, or to a soft-shell that had died before being provided to a seafood vendor, and was then consumed quickly by the crabbers. In

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, various species are used to make

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

such as ''maki-zushi'' or ''temaki-zushi''. The Japanese blue crab ('' Portunus trituberculatus'') or the shore swimming crab ('' Charybdis japonica'') are typically used. In

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, soft-shell crustaceans are typical in the coastal region of

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. Irrespective of the species, they are called ''chiguatos'', from the local slang verb ''achiguatar'', meaning ''to soften''. Typical preparations include velvet crabs (''Necora puber'') and langoustines (''Nephrops norvegicus''), which are highly regarded delicacies of Sanlucar de Barrameda, and

lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

(''Homarus gammarus'') (called ''langosta chiguata''), which is typical along the coast of

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. Typically, they are deep-fried and served with a

vinaigrette Vinaigrette ( , ) is made by mixing an edible oil with a mild acid such as vinegar (acetic acid) or lemon juice ( citric acid). The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs and/or spices. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but can ...

. In

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the soft-shell of the common Mediterranean crab is a delicacy typical of the

Venetian lagoon The Venetian Lagoon (; ) is an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, in northern Italy, in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Italian and Venetian languages, ' (cognate of Latin ' ), has provided the English name for an enclosed, ...

(called ''moeca'' or ''moeche'' in the local idiom). Soft-shell crabs can have the soft organs along the dorsal cavity removed during cleaning, or they can be left in for consumption. In the latter case, along the US Atlantic coast, the customer asks the vendor to leave "the mustard", referring to the yellow-orange color of the hepatopancreas, and the deep orange of the roe in a female crab.

Gallery

File:St Johns Tavern, Archway, London (6014211118).jpg File:Ultimate Seafood Platter at Landry's Seafood House.jpg File:Soft shell crab.jpg File:Soft Shelled Crab on Noodle Soup.jpg File:Softshell crab, sweet corn, bacon, buttermilk, tomato - Coquette New Orleans.jpg File:Soft shell crab at the Pacific Fair, Gold Coast, Queensland.jpg File:Soft Shelled Crab on Sushi Rice - Arintji (69449046).jpg File:Spider hand roll.jpg, In ''

temaki is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

References

{{Edible crustaceans Crab dishes Edible crustaceans Commercial crustaceans

Regional cuisine

Gallery

See also

References