Blue Crab Recipes

Soft Shell Blue Crabs

Soft crabs are found on the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida and on the Gulf Coast to Texas. Over 80% of the soft shell blue crabs come from the Chesapeake Bay. Soft shell crabs are blue crabs that have shed their hard outer shell in order to grow. This process, known as molting, occurs 18 to 23 times during the lifetime of the crab as it matures and
outgrows each hard shell.

To catch these molting crabs, the watermen carefully follow their movements. The appearance of the crab’s backfins tells the watermen when they are ready to molt. During the shedding, the crab increases its size by one-third, and once it
has molted, it should be removed quickly from the saltwater before the new shell begins to grow.

Fresh soft crabs are available from May through September. A live soft crab shows very little movement, especially when refrigerated. Close inspection will reveal some movement of the eyes, mouth and legs. Fresh soft crabs should be purchased live and kept moist and stored in a drip-proof tray, between wet newspapers or paper towels in your refrigerator. They should be cooked within two days of purchase. Cleaning or “dressing” soft crabs is a simple procedure.

With a pair of scissors, cut off the mouth and face behind the eyes. Cut off the apron. Lift the top shell and snip out the lungs on each side. Run under cold water to clean. The softshell crabs are now ready to cook. Once cleaned, the entire crab is edible.

Frozen soft shell crabs are available year round. They keep for twelve months in the freezer and thaw very quickly in the refrigerator. Micro-waving is not recommended. Versatile as well as delicious, soft crabs can be served as an appetizer, on a sandwich or as a softshell dinner entree.

http://www.marylandseafood.org

• Buy Maryland Softshell Blue Crabs online

Also see:
• Maryland blue crab
• Crab Cobb Salad
• Maryland Blue Crab Cake Panini
• Pan fried soft shell blue crabs