Soft Shell Crab as easy as 1-2-3

Step 1: Separate egg yolks from whites. Add yolks to shallow bowl. Dip each soft shell crab into yolks.



Step 2: After dipping into yolks, immediately dip into a plate of bread crumbs. You can create your own crumbs. You can buy fancy gourmet versions. You can use plain. You can use panko. Just dip the eggy crab into the bread crumbs. Set aside on a baking pan. Shake Salt & Pepper onto finished crabs.



Step 3: Heat Vegetable Oil in a skillet. When you toss a little bit of bread crumb into the oil and it bubbles around it, you are ready to fry. Give each crab 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm on a baking sheet (220 degrees) until finished frying all crabs. Serve with ice cold wine and salad.




Soft-shell crab is a crustacean seafood that can be eaten whole if cooked shortly after molting their hard shell. Crabs should be kept alive until immediately before cooking so they are fresh. Usually crabs must be eaten within four days of molting to be useful as soft-shell crabs. They begin to rebuild their shells after that, and when eaten, have a thin shell. These are often referred to as "papershells" or "tinbacks" and are more crunchy when eaten, making them less desirable to some.

The exact species used as soft-shells varies regionally. In the United States, the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is used typically, although the use of the mangrove crab in Asia has provided another source for this seasonal food.

As crabs grow larger, their shells cannot expand, so they molt the exteriors and have a soft covering for a matter of days when they are vulnerable and considered usable. Fishermen often put crabs beginning to molt aside, until the molting process is complete in order to send them to market as soft-shells.