Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Soft-shell crab
open-in-new
<h2 id="regional-cuisine">Regional cuisine</h2> <p>In the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>, the main species is the blue crab, <i><a href="/facts/Callinectes_sapidus/sALQqVAs">Callinectes sapidus</a></i>, which appears in markets from April to September.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>In the Deep South region of the United States, most notably the Gulf coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, "Buster crab" can be a synonym for a plump, meaty soft-shell crab. ("<a href="/facts/Buster_Crabbe/Pa1HmkPs">Buster Crabbe</a>" was a famous movie star, known for playing Flash Gordon). However, the original meaning of Buster crab referred to either a soft-shell that had yet to complete molting, or to a soft-shell that had died before being provided to a seafood vendor, and was then consumed quickly by the crabbers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, various species are used to make <a href="/facts/Sushi/4WedU0r1">sushi</a> such as <i>maki-zushi</i> or <i>temaki-zushi</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The Japanese blue crab (<i><a href="/facts/Portunus_trituberculatus/SsGpltto">Portunus trituberculatus</a></i>) or the shore swimming crab (<i><a href="/facts/Charybdis_japonica/2RwQeabX">Charybdis japonica</a></i>) are typically used. </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Spain/bIyrB8EY">Spain</a>, soft-shell crustaceans are typical in the coastal region of <a href="/facts/Andalusia/nkw5oWrL">Andalusia</a>. Irrespective of the species, they are called <i>chiguatos</i>, from the local slang verb <i>achiguatar</i>, meaning <i>to soften</i>. Typical preparations include <a href="/facts/Velvet_crab/wPwX0f2t">velvet crabs</a> (<i>Necora puber</i>) and <a href="/facts/Langoustines/StxbAjy3">langoustines</a> (<i>Nephrops norvegicus</i>), which are highly regarded delicacies of <a href="/facts/Sanlucar_de_Barrameda/mSS5hGd5">Sanlucar de Barrameda</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> and <a href="/facts/European_lobster/zPdBgndT">lobster</a> (<i>Homarus gammarus</i>) (called <i>langosta chiguata</i>), which is typical along the coast of <a href="/facts/M%C3%A1laga/9lpQKS8w">Málaga</a>. Typically, they are deep-fried and served with a <a href="/facts/Vinaigrette/lju3bzn2">vinaigrette</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a>, the soft-shell of the common <a href="/facts/Carcinus_aestuarii/N1U1lSmB">Mediterranean crab</a> is a delicacy typical of the <a href="/facts/Venetian_lagoon/L7Gk2MFU">Venetian lagoon</a> (called <i>moeca</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> or <i>moeche</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> in the local idiom). </p><p>Soft-shell crabs can have the soft organs along the dorsal cavity removed during cleaning, or they can be left in for consumption. In the latter case, along the US Atlantic coast, the customer asks the vendor to leave "the mustard", referring to the yellow-orange color of the <a href="/facts/Tomalley/4X8MQ15c">hepatopancreas</a>, and the deep orange of the roe in a female crab.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_crab_dishes/bD6neMmB">List of crab dishes</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_seafood_dishes/5kjIrLUq">List of seafood dishes</a></li> <li> Food portal</li></ul> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soft-shell crab. <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>CiCi Williamson, Garry Pound & Willard Scott (2008). "Shellfish and fish". The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book: Recipes, People, Places. Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 60–87. ISBN 978-0-89732-657-5. <a href="978-0-89732-657-5" target="_blank">978-0-89732-657-5</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Thompson, Fred (2010). Crazy for Crab: Every Thing You Need to Know to Enjoy Fabulous Crab at Home. ReadHowYouWant.com. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-45876-388-4. Retrieved 15 January 2015. <a href="978-1-45876-388-4" target="_blank">978-1-45876-388-4</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Manton, Keegan (12 November 2021). "Soft-Shell Crab | Can You Really Eat The Whole Thing?". A Life of Mastery. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021. <a href="https://alifeofmastery.com/soft-shell-crab/" target="_blank">https://alifeofmastery.com/soft-shell-crab/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Ole G. Mouritsen (2009). "Sushi à la carte". Sushi: Food for the Eye, the Body and the Soul. Springer. pp. 202–250. ISBN 978-1-4419-0617-5. <a href="978-1-4419-0617-5" target="_blank">978-1-4419-0617-5</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Tracy Barr (2011). "Soft-shell crabs". Cast Iron Cooking For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 137–138. ISBN 9781118053188. <a href="9781118053188" target="_blank">9781118053188</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Ole G. Mouritsen (2009). "Sushi à la carte". Sushi: Food for the Eye, the Body and the Soul. Springer. pp. 202–250. ISBN 978-1-4419-0617-5. <a href="978-1-4419-0617-5" target="_blank">978-1-4419-0617-5</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Delilah Winder & Jennifer Lindner McGlinn (2006). Delilah's Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking with Style. Running Press. ISBN 9780762426010. <a href="9780762426010" target="_blank">9780762426010</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Fitzmorris, Tom. "Soft-Shell Crabs". thefoodalmanac.com. Retrieved 2018-08-12. <a href="http://thefoodalmanac.com/joomla1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2110:soft-shell-crabs&catid=275:shellfish-guide" target="_blank">http://thefoodalmanac.com/joomla1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2110:soft-shell-crabs&catid=275:shellfish-guide</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"BLUECRAB.INFO - Blue Crab Glossary of Terms". www.bluecrab.info. Retrieved 2018-08-12. <a href="https://www.bluecrab.info/glossary.html" target="_blank">https://www.bluecrab.info/glossary.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Ole G. Mouritsen (2009). "Sushi à la carte". Sushi: Food for the Eye, the Body and the Soul. Springer. pp. 202–250. ISBN 978-1-4419-0617-5. <a href="978-1-4419-0617-5" target="_blank">978-1-4419-0617-5</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>García Rodríguez J.C.“La cocina sanluqueña y sus mejores recetas “, Sanlúcar de Bda., 2000 <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Los Marinos José, el éxito de la sencillez". El País. Retrieved August 21, 2019. <a href="https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/08/20/gastronotas_de_capel/1566325404_646145.html" target="_blank">https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/08/20/gastronotas_de_capel/1566325404_646145.html</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Moeca (soft-shell crab)". Parco Alimentare Venezia Orientale. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110722065033/http://www.parcoalimentare.ve.it/dati/prodotti/tradizionali/en/ittici/moeca.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20110722065033/http://www.parcoalimentare.ve.it/dati/prodotti/tradizionali/en/ittici/moeca.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Cain, Jacqueline (2022). "At Moëca, a Talented Cambridge Restaurant Team Takes on Seafood". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2022-10-14. <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2022/08/05/first-look-moeca-cambridge/" target="_blank">https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2022/08/05/first-look-moeca-cambridge/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Bianchi, Alessandro (2016). "Fishing for crabs: Venice's culinary Moeche delicacy". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-14. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-crabs-idUSKCN0YI1LM" target="_blank">https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-crabs-idUSKCN0YI1LM</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Grant, Maryland Sea. "Chesapeake Quarterly Volume 11 Number 2: Glossary of Blue Crab Biology". www.chesapeakequarterly.net. Retrieved 2018-08-12. <a href="http://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/V11N2/side4/" target="_blank">http://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/V11N2/side4/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>