Soft Shell Crab Round 1

Our gone fisin' Wednesday has brought us a new delicacy, fresh from the local ocean. 

Soft Shell Crab.

The blue crab have just molted their shell (exoskeleton) and are usually served either fried (breaded) or sauteed with oil and various spices. The new shell is soft enough to eat and gives a nice crunchy texture to the crab. The females, will have red tips on the large pincher claws, or what are called "lips", and the males will have blue or dark claws. Also the genitalia will show the gender, this is on the underside and easy to locate. The female crabs will usually have egg sacks under their shell that add an additional nice flavor when eating.

Notice red tips to large pincher claws (female)

The soft shells are bought alive and they will need to be either kept cool and protected, or dispatched and used that day. The process of cleaning the soft shells has three simple steps (using scissors);

1. Remove the head.

2. Remove the lungs on both sides.

3. Remove the genitalia. 

You can either store the bodies in a refrigerator for a few hours or cook them immediately, your choice. They can also be frozen successfully.

On my first attempt I decided to fry them by drying the bodies with paper towels, dunking them in buttermilk, apply breading, dip them in an egg wash and then apply another coating of breading. Then frying them in peanut oil until lightly browned, flipping them once. Drain the cooked soft shells on paper towels before serving.

This was somewhat of a challenge for me as I had never prepared the fresh soft shells, and had only ever eaten/prepared frozen soft shells. I found that the results with fresh soft shells was amazing and inspiring. The crab meat was magnificent, with an almost neutral flavor (fresh) and a texture that was almost like a gelatin, and the shells had a crunchiness of a thin potato chip. 

I felt that the breading I used was overpowering the flavor of the crab. My new mission was to work out another flavourful way to cook these seasonal treats available here in South Carolina. Thank God I had a week to figure it out before I bought more soft shells... 

My fishmonger said that the season is usually from April to early June. The start and end of the season can change year to year, so stay in contact with your supplier if you want to enjoy this wonderfully delicious treat.

Next, round two, stay tuned...

W