The crab will remain truly soft for only a couple of hours in the water. The new shell has already formed and is about a third larger, but it is still soft. The crab then wiggles out through the back. To shed the old shell, a crab swells with water, and busts the old shell along the back edge. To grow larger, crabs must molt or shed their old shell. “Soft Shell Crabs….also known as peelers or busters is produced by taking advantage of a crab’s lifecycle. I’ve learned so much about a crabs lifecycle in the last couple years and also learned how to make a pretty MEAN Fried Soft Shell Crab Sandwich! Mmmmmm, You’ve gotta try this recipe! Be prepared to be FULL….and maybe lazy after this meal….warning! Lol I’ll never ever get over how crazy the process truly is….Nature is so amazing! ![]() This mayo will last weeks, use it on anything that needs a little Chesapeake Bay flavor.Y’all! A crab shedding is WILD to me. Allow to drain on a wire rack or paper towel lined plate.Īssemble the sandwich and serve immediately.Ĭombine ingredients and mix well. Flip the crabs after about a minute, then cook for another minute or two. ![]() Work in small batches to keep the oil hot. Frying soft shell crabs splatters a lot of oil- use a wire splatter guard if you have one. Dunk the prepped crab into the batter, then give it one shake to remove excess batter and gently lower it into the hot oil. Lightly season the crabs with salt and pepper. This is best done with a pair of scissors- cut the face off the live crabs, then lift the top carapace by the furthest point and cut the gills out at the base. Right before you plan on cooking the softshells, you’ll need to clean them. Preheat frying oil in a high sided pan to 375F. There will be clumps in the batter, this is normal. Stir lightly- overmixing will cause the gluten to bind and create a “doughy” batter. Mix tempura batter with chopsticks or fork. We also prefer to deep fry ours- while you can pan fry them, we find that deep frying produces a more uniform crispness. We like to use a light tempura batter for our soft shell crabs, which is the same one we use for turkey tenders, but any light batter will work. We used our venison bacon in this round, but any bacon, or no bacon, is fine. For this recipe we made an Old Bay mayo and stacked the crabs on a bun with BLT fixins. We usually keep our soft shells pretty simple- a light batter or breading, some hot oil and a lemony sauce. Enjoy the moment, the flavor, the warm weather, smell of saltwater and long days while you can. Not getting what you want all the time is what makes things so much better when you can. Knowing that the moment is fleeting, that these flavors and textures are short lived, makes them that much more valuable and enjoyable. Luckily, peeler houses hold crabs that are about to molt in tanks and harvest them as soon as they shed their shells.Įven if we could somehow have soft shell blue crabs, fresh, year round, I don't know if we would want that, or enjoy them as much. It’s pretty rare for us to catch soft crabs, and when it does happen it's always just sheer luck. This is also the only time a female crab can mate- she’ll go searching for a big jimmy just before the molt, who will guard her while her shell gradually hardens.īlue crabs shed their hard exterior multiple times a year, and there is a short window of time when they are fat, full of meat and entirely edible. Their movement slows, they can’t swim, and their normally painful claws become soft and pliable. During this time, the crabs are incredibly vulnerable to all kinds of predators- humans included. The hard shell doesn’t grow with the crab, so a couple times a year, the crabs will molt, exposing their new, unhardened shell. It’s also one of those beautiful ingredients that has a small range of travel- the crabs are delicate and must be kept alive, so it’s rare to source them fresh anywhere that’s not within a short drive to the bay.įor the uninitiated, a soft shell crab is a crab that has shed it’s hard exoskeleton. They show up for such a short period of time, we eat as many as we can and then have to wait most of a year to enjoy them again. This ephemeral ingredient is prime for just a few warm months in the Chesapeake Bay region, and we take advantage of it to our fullest potential. ![]() Soft shell blue crabs are the perfect seasonal food.
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