Soft-shell crab is aculinary term forcrabs that have recentlymolted their oldexoskeleton 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 themouthparts, thegills and theabdominal cover, which are discarded ("cleaned").[5] The remaining, edible part of the crab is typicallydeep-fried orsautéed.[4]
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In the United States, the main species is the blue crab,Callinectes sapidus, which appears in markets from April to September.[6]
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 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.[7][8]
In Japan, various species are used to makesushi such asmaki-zushi ortemaki-zushi.[4] The Japanese blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus) or the shore-swimming crab (Charybdis japonica) are typically used.[citation needed]
In Spain, soft-shell crustaceans are typical in the coastal region ofAndalusia. Irrespective of the species, they are calledchiguatos, from the local slang verbachiguatar, meaningto soften. Typical preparations includevelvet crabs (Necora puber) andlangoustines (Nephrops norvegicus), which are highly regarded delicacies ofSanlucar de Barrameda,[9] andlobster (Homarus gammarus) (calledlangosta chiguata), which is typical along the coast ofMálaga. Typically, they are deep-fried and served with avinaigrette.[10]
In Italy, the soft-shell of the commonMediterranean crab is a delicacy typical of theVenetian lagoon (calledmoeca[11][12] ormoeche[13] 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 U.S. Atlantic coast, the customer asks the vendor to leave "the mustard", referring to the yellow-orange color of thehepatopancreas, and the deep orange of the roe in a female crab.[14]
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