Soft Shell Crabs

I've eaten it once in an Italian restaurant in Clacton on Sea. It was OK but I didn't particularly enjoy eating the soft shell. It seems that they can only be bought here in the UK as imports. Here is what the Fish Society has to say about them:

Softshell crabs are normal crabs which are caught immediately after moulting their shell, in the few days before the new one has hardened up. They are everywhere, of course, but two regions turned them into culinary stars: Venice and New England. They’re still fished in both places, but the rest of the world goes to Thailand for this delicacy where a burgeoning soft shell crab industry seems to be run by a cadre of ex-patriate Bostonian fish processing managers. So the quality is excellent. Please note that one 75g crab is about two mouthfuls. And yes, you do indeed eat the whole thing... very tasty too. The availability of soft shell crab can be tricky so we do apologise if they are currently out of stock.
  • You can eat our soft shell crabs whole
  • The most popular method of cooking soft shell crabs is to deep fry them
  • Soft shell crab is only sold as frozen in the UK due to it having to be imported
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I note they don't mention Florida...
 
I took a closer look at some of those web sites offing soft shell blue crabs.

There are some things to watch out for ....

1) Some of the sites are offering soft shell crabs that are already cooked.
2) Some of the sites are offering soft shell crabs that are not blue crabs.

NOTE: The blue crab is a lighter and more delicate soft shell and more flavorful.

3) Some of the sites are offering crabs that are imports, from who knows where.
4) Some of the sites are gouging for more money than the crabs are worth.
5) Most sites charge nearly $40 USD to ship, because they must ship in special dry ice boxes, no less than 2 day air. If you live close to their location on the US east coast, it is possible to ship ground, but for the most part, expect a 2 day air shipping charge so that you get your crabs pronto and can get them into the freezer.

NOTE: Soft shell crab products have a 2 week refrigerator life and a 4 month freezer life. After that, quality is lost and possibly, they may need to be tossed. Quick shipping is essential.

NOTE: If you really do your research, there are one or two sites offering free shipping, but doing that to bait folks for higher product charges.


While I was looking around for soft shelled blue cab sources, I also looked for New Zealand green lipped mussles and alligator steaks. Both can be sourced online and are available to be shipped 2 day air at similar charges which go up, the more Lbs. of stuff you get.

Soft shelled crabs and other stuff is actually available through Amazon.com and e-Bay.
 
Morning Glory said:
I've eaten it once in an Italian restaurant in Clacton on Sea. It was OK but I didn't particularly enjoy eating the soft shell. It seems that they can only be bought here in the UK as imports. Here is what the Fish Society has to say about them:



I note they don't mention Florida...
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Regardless of what "they" say, I assure you we catch blue crabs in Florida. Before Craig's brother passed, we'd often have a Maryland crab boil during crab season when we visited him on the west coast of Florida. We'd pick up crabs that had been caught that day or the day before less than 5 minutes from his home. He'd always order in advance and ask for bigger males. If you wanted soft shells, you had to place an order in advance. They would keep the crabs in live tanks to wait until they molted. Obviously, they cost more.

We buy crabs over here on the east coast from time to time. The closest place is a fish market I refuse to step foot in because of the smell. They are on a canal and dock their boats in the back, clean and fillet the fish, they also sell whole, gutted, and the store is kept open to the back during operating hours. You can imagine the smell in hot Florida. I'd never buy anything but live crab or lobster there, but they get decent sized crabs.
 
medtran49 said:
Regardless of what "they" say, I assure you we catch blue crabs in Florida.
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I know - I was pointing out that the blurb missed Florida out when even I know there are plenty of soft shelled crabs there. I wonder how true it is that it Venice and New England turned soft shelled crab into culinary stars.

BTW I have a fantastic (signed) book from Chesapeake bay which is nothing but crab recipes from the area. I think you and @Craig might like that book. Not sure if its still available though...
 
Morning Glory said:
I know - I was pointing out that the blurb missed Florida out when even I know there are plenty of soft shelled crabs there. I wonder how true it is that it Venice and New England turned soft shelled crab into culinary stars.

BTW I have a fantastic (signed) book from Chesapeake bay which is nothing but crab recipes from the area. I think you and @Craig might like that book. Not sure if its still available though...
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The New England area is known for its crabs and lobster. You've got the lobster roll sandwiches that are a famous speciality and I would imagine soft shell crab was an early dish and Maryland crab boils are a big thing. New England boils, using lobster and crab are big things as well. You can.buy kits online for both. You have to realize that lobster and crab were considered trash bycatch long ago and the only people that ate them were fisherman families because they'd sell the fish for money, then eat what was left. They learned to cook them very well and use them in different dishes.

As far as Venice, they've always been known for fish. They are an island after all.

When I went to Italy with our DD, one of the places our tour group did a day trip to was Burano. We ate lunch there, a special multicourse seafood based meal, or at least i and the others did. DD was much more picky back then. She'd eat shrimp and lobster, and that's it as far as seafood. So, we asked the server if she could order off the regular menu (and pay) to replace the courses that had things she wouldn't eat. Server said he'd check with chef, but thought it would be okay. He'd already been flirting with DD. She was in her early 20s back then and very striking, think Snow White, pale complexion, very dark hair and eyes, red lips even without makeup, and very pretty features, petite but buxom, and she nearly always had on full makeup, eyes and all, so had men falling all over her pretty much anywhere. Anyway, chef/owner came to our table, preceded to ask her what she liked and made her courses to her liking, coming out to flirt and check that she was happy ever so often, and refused to take any additional money.

So, Morning Glory , what's the book? You'd be amazed at the used, out of print books one can get. I got Craig a very old paperback printed only in the UK from 1 of his favorite authors back in the early days of the Internet and the selection has only grown.
 
the natural range of blue claw crabs = Callinectes sapidus is the west edge of the Atlantic - Cape Cod south to Argentina.

as a long time mid-Atlantic resident I have heard essentially no references to "New England crab (anything)"
clams, lobsters . . . yes.
and their natural range does not put them very far into "New England" enough to support the 'famous' tag.

of recent, they have been found in the Boston area - which some attribute to global warming....

also to note: apparently they have been introduced in Asia and Europe.

the Asian "swimming crab" (Portunus armatus formerly Portunus pelagicus) is not the same as the blue claw crab, and does not taste like a blue claw crab either. when buying canned crab meats, the variety is usually specified in the fine print; I do not buy swimming crab simply because it's just not good, to my taste.
 
medtran49 said:
The New England area is known for its crabs and lobster. You've got the lobster roll sandwiches that are a famous speciality and I would imagine soft shell crab was an early dish and Maryland crab boils are a big thing. New England boils, using lobster and crab are big things as well. You can.buy kits online for both. You have to realize that lobster and crab were considered trash bycatch long ago and the only people that ate them were fisherman families because they'd sell the fish for money, then eat what was left. They learned to cook them very well and use them in different dishes.

As far as Venice, they've always been known for fish. They are an island after all.

When I went to Italy with our DD, one of the places our tour group did a day trip to was Burano. We ate lunch there, a special multicourse seafood based meal, or at least i and the others did. DD was much more picky back then. She'd eat shrimp and lobster, and that's it as far as seafood. So, we asked the server if she could order off the regular menu (and pay) to replace the courses that had things she wouldn't eat. Server said he'd check with chef, but thought it would be okay. He'd already been flirting with DD. She was in her early 20s back then and very striking, think Snow White, pale complexion, very dark hair and eyes, red lips even without makeup, and very pretty features, petite but buxom, and she nearly always had on full makeup, eyes and all, so had men falling all over her pretty much anywhere. Anyway, chef/owner came to our table, preceded to ask her what she liked and made her courses to her liking, coming out to flirt and check that she was happy ever so often, and refused to take any additional money.

So, Morning Glory , what's the book? You'd be amazed at the used, out of print books one can get. I got Craig a very old paperback printed only in the UK from 1 of his favorite authors back in the early days of the Internet and the selection has only grown.
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I've gone to Connecticut a lot for business, around New Haven. When the weather is right, I head to a bar/restaurant on the water, and order a big load of steamed clams. My favorites are little necks. You have to find a good place that purges their clams, unless you like sand with your clams. New England clam chowder (pronounced "chow-dah") made with clams caught that day is also awesome.

As for lobster (pronounced Lawb-stah" up there), I actually prefer Caribbean spiny lobster -- you can get those in Florida, for sure. I'm also not a fan of lobster rolls.

CD
 
medtran49 said:
Regardless of what "they" say, I assure you we catch blue crabs in Florida. Before Craig's brother passed, we'd often have a Maryland crab boil during crab season when we visited him on the west coast of Florida. We'd pick up crabs that had been caught that day or the day before less than 5 minutes from his home. He'd always order in advance and ask for bigger males. If you wanted soft shells, you had to place an order in advance. They would keep the crabs in live tanks to wait until they molted. Obviously, they cost more.

We buy crabs over here on the east coast from time to time. The closest place is a fish market I refuse to step foot in because of the smell. They are on a canal and dock their boats in the back, clean and fillet the fish, they also sell whole, gutted, and the store is kept open to the back during operating hours. You can imagine the smell in hot Florida. I'd never buy anything but live crab or lobster there, but they get decent sized crabs.
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I've eaten dozens of blue crabs caught in the waters near Port Arthur. Getting soft shells is purely a matter of timing. I've never had soft shell crabs. Hard shell blue crabs are tasty, but a lot of work for a meal. But, crawfish are also a lot of work for a meal -- but the point of a crawfish/crab boil down here is not so much about eating as it is about socializing. It is an event.

CD
 
medtran49 said:
So, Morning Glory , what's the book? You'd be amazed at the used, out of print books one can get. I got Craig a very old paperback printed only in the UK from 1 of his favorite authors back in the early days of the Internet and the selection has only grown.
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Its called "The Chesapeake Bay Crabbiest Cookbook" by Whitey Schimdt . First printed in 2000.
 
medtran49 said:
Ordered from Amazon. It is available from ebay and private used booksellers ad well, condition anywhere from acceptable to very good, prices $5 ish to under $20 with shipping depending on condition.
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I hope you enjoy - curiously, all the photos inside are in black and white. But that may be because many are vintage and taken by the author (I think). One thing I promise is that you'll never be short of a crab recipe!
 
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