Fried blue crab how to#
Fried blue crab skin#

This range has impressive powerful burners. I am frying my Hestan range in a Hestan sauté pan. Dredging Soft Shell Crab In Seasoned Flour I love Old Bay Seasoning on any crab so I use that in my flour. The flour can be seasoned with whatever you like. Coat the crab one more time in the seasoned flour then place in the hot oil to fry. I like to coat the crab in seasoned flour, then dip it in either egg white or buttermilk. Fried Soft Shell Crabįrying soft shell crab is quick and easy to do. Easy access delicious crab is definitely a great thing! A fried soft shell crab sandwich is my personal favorite way to eat them, but I do enjoy them sauteéd as well. Think about it however, there is no need to bust apart the hard shell to find little piece of meat. Eating the whole crab seems to contradict how we have typically ate crabs our whole life. It was at a seafood restaurant when I was just a teenager. This is the fun part! If your soft shell crabs have already been prepared and cleaned, you eat the entire thing legs, shell, body and all.

Fried blue crab how to#

I wouldn’t keep them over two days in the refrigerator.įor some great pictures of the process on how to clean soft shell crabs, click here.

If not cooking them immediately, keep them cold in the refrigerator until ready to use. Once the crabs are cleaned, try to cook them within a day as they will spoil quickly. Essentially, you must remove the face of the crab (mouth and eyes), remove the gills and remove the flap (the apron) underneath which can be tough, If you have to do it yourself however, it only takes a minute. Most soft shell crab you buy online has already been cleaned. If this has been done already the soft shells are referred to as “dressed”. If you are purchasing soft shell crabs from your local fish market, often they will prep and clean them for you if you ask. Prepping Soft Shell Crabs For Frying On My Hestan Dual-Fuel Range Soft Shell Crabs: How To Clean Soft shell crabs are not in season during the winter months, when the water temperature drops. Soft shell crab season starts in spring through fall along the Gulf Coast, with slightly shorter seasons along the Chesapeake and East Coast. Pricing varies widely, but expect a range of $6 and up per crab locally and a higher price if buying online. The larger they are, the more expensive they are similar to shrimp. Soft shell crabs come in different sizes.

If the crab is listed as “dressed”,all of the cleaning and prepping has already been done. When buying them fresh, ask if they will prepare them for you. More commonly however, you will find them frozen, especially if using a mail order delivery service. If you’re lucky, your local fish market will have live, fresh soft shell crabs for purchase. What To Know When Purchasing Soft Shell Crab Reference: Fulton Fish Market Where Does Soft Shell Crab Come From?īlue crabs for soft shell crabs can be found most commonly in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia as well us along the Gulf Coast. in case of injury or the loss of a leg), in as few as three molt cycles. In addition to their shells, soft shell crabs can also replace their legs (ie. The crab then ingests enough water to bloat itself, loosening the old shell. Over the course of several weeks, the crab then grows a new, soft, paper-like shell under the old shell. To initiate the molting process, the crab releases enzymes which separate its old shell from the underlying skin. they’re most typically blue crabs which have gotten too big for their shells. Soft shell crabs are not a separate species of crab.

Fried blue crab skin#

Unlike humans, whose skin grows and stretches to accommodate growth, a crabs’ shell is external and must therefore be shed and replaced or “molted” as the crab grows. Soft shell crabs “softies” are actually “hard shell blue crabs” that are going through the molting process. I believe my flavorful fried soft shell crab sandwich is the best way to introduce you to this seafood delicacy. Once you try one you’ll realize that isn’t crazy at all. Soft shells are different than any other crab you might enjoy as you eat the entire crab shell and all. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe This post is written in partnership with Hestan.