softshell crab
Recently shed exoskeleton
A softshell crab is a crab caught just after molting, when its new shell is still soft and edible.
Blue crabs are most commonly harvested this way.
The entire crab—shell, legs, and all—can be eaten, typically fried or sautéed: softshell crab sandwich, pan-fried softshells with lemon butter.
- friedCooked in hot fat
- deep friedCooked submerged in oil
- crispyBrittle and snapping
- batterUncooked cake mixture
- seafoodMarine creatures as cuisine
Maryland · Gulf Coast · molting · paper thin · delicate · briny · ocean · gulf · coastal · sautéed · tempura · sandwich · po'boy · Chesapeake · Atlantic · crustacean · tender · golden
shell hardness/armor state
softshell crabstone crab
Hard-shelled coastal crustacean
lobster · horseshoe crab · Dungeness crab · king crab · stone crab claws
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