Take the cracking out of blue crab feasting
& beer batter a soft shell!
Since the mid 1800’s, crabbers at Crisfield, MD have hoisted soft-shells or “busters” from bay waters for cooks who absolutely love everything crab. They found these shell-less crabs sauté, fry or even bake to a delicious salty-sweet taste. The watermen gladly searched them out for this cuisine. The trick is to know there is only a two-hour window from the crab losing the old shell and growing the new one and what stage they found the soft shell. Plus, they only have a few times a year to catch them. Small crabs shed 10 times a year and large ones 3 to 4 times. So timing is essential. Our crew clean and dress them so you can eat the entire crab without any snipping or clipping. They carefully remove all uneatable features, the gills, mouth, etc. Then, we quickly prepare the soft shells by flash-freezing them for a safe shipment to your kitchen.
Choosing the Correct Size
Our team approximates the soft crabs’ sizes with a .5 to 1-inch deviation. Cleaning the crab may decrease the size appearance, but once stretched point-to-point, the crustacean reaches its true size. Choose from the smallest to largest: Mediums (3.5"-4"), Hotels (4"-4.5"), Primes (4.5"-5"), Jumbos (5"-5.5"), and Whales (5"-up).
Tonight’s menu presents cleaned & dressed Soft-Shell Crabs in a Beer-Battered Sauté.
Check out this recipe!
It takes a true crab lover to dine on the entire crab as an entrée or sandwich. Diners rave over the beer battered salty-sweet taste of the soft-shells in the Garlic Beer-Battered Soft-Shell Special. Follow these easy steps to prepare your own dish. 1) Whisk two organic eggs with whole milk and set aside. Prepare the garlic-vegetable mix: Dice four plum tomatoes & a sweet onion. Chop three garlic cloves and parsley. Combine all seasonings/vegetables together and set aside. 2) Dip soft shells in the egg/milk mixture and then coat with Soft Crab Batter from J.O., a Baltimore MD brand. Repeat the dipping and coating for a thicker breading. 3) Carefully place the crabs in a hot skillet with extra virgin olive oil. Add the seasonings/vegetable mix. Sauté for 3 minutes per side creating a golden-brown crust. Sauté the vegetable/seasoning mix and set on top of the crabs. This combined cooking adds flavor to the soft shells. 4) Pour your favorite beer on each crab to give them a hoppy flavor that complements the succulent-salty taste. Cook for another 3 minutes per side. 5) Plate and savor this unique dish for the true crab lover!
