When a crab sheds its exoskeleton, it loses a considerable amount of weight and meat. It’s very interesting to see the crab’s previous shell and its new, squishy exoskeleton.įun Fact: A blue crab that has recently molted will have less meat than a crab that’s about to molt. I found a video by Sonya Schaffer where she shows a recently-molted blue crab that her children caught. They call these crabs “peelers.” Once they shed their skin, the soft and squishy crab is sold to restaurants and crab vendors. This is why we are able to eat soft shell crabs whole.Ĭrabbers will catch blue crabs just before they shed their shell and keep them in holding tanks. The crab’s new, squishy shell is edible when cooked.
#SOFT SHELL BLUE CRAB CRACK#
You don’t have to crack open the crab’s shell, as you would with a hardshell blue crab. You are eating a recently-molted blue crab, which makes its shell soft and edible. It leaves behind a hollow blue crab shell and is left soft and defenseless. Their shell does grow with them, so every year a blue crab will shed its shell like a snake shedding its skin. So, why is a soft shell crab soft?īlue crabs, like all crustaceans, molt their exoskeleton in order to grow. If you’ve been to a crab feast, you should be used to hard shell blue crabs that need a hammer and brute force to crack open. To know what you’re eating, and give you peace of mind, I’ll explain how you can eat a whole soft shell crab. Because the crab has recently molted, its shell is edible.
If you’re interested, read my article: Gifts Ideas for Any Crabber (Items they’ll actually use!). Instead, I wanted to make a list of what a crabber actually needs and will end up buying themselves. I was tired of generic crabbing gift ideas with a graphic of a crab on a mug or t-shirt. With the Holiday Season coming around, I put together a gift guide for anyone who loves to go crabbing. I’ll go over how this is possible as well as what to look out for to make sure your crab hasn’t spoiled. I just want to make it clear that you are safe to bite into the soft shell crab as it’s served. This includes the crab’s gills, abdomen, and mouth. You do not need to cut off any parts of the crab, as the inedible parts have already been removed beforehand. Whether served fried, sautéed, grilled, or on a sandwich, you eat the entire soft shell crab as it’s served. To clear this up, I’ll answer the question: How do I eat a fried soft shell crab?
You might still be unsure if this is the same case for deep-fried soft shell crabs or when they’re on sandwiches. Because of this, it is safe to eat an entire soft shell crab. This leaves only the crab’s meat and “soft” shell. All of the inedible parts of a crab you would not usually consume, such as the gills, abdomen, and mouth, are removed before cooking a soft shell crab. Let me ease your worries by explaining how you eat a softshell crab.įirst of all, do you eat the entire soft shell crab? I’ve been in exactly this scenario and I know how it feels. Whether you ordered the crab by itself or on a sandwich, you’re wondering how you’re supposed to eat it. I imagine you’re sitting at a table in a restaurant looking at your meal, and there is a fried softshell crab staring right back at you.
0 kommentar(er)
