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I've been tempted to go for this dish at several seafood restaurants but always end up going for something else as i have visions of it tasting like a mouthful of unshelled shrimp with lots of guts.. Anyone want to give a try at describing the eating of these things? Do you eat the whole thing?
Yes, you eat the whole thing. But the shells are very thin. More like a crispy crust than a shell. when cooked properly and when they are fresh, when you bite in to them, they sort of pop in your mouth.
The taste is similar to regular blue crab because, after all, that's all they are - Blue crab that is molting so it has almost no shell.
Seafood restaurants will put a bit of flour on them, then sautee them in butter and maybe a little garlic and lemon. That's my favorite way to have them, but only if they are fresh. And they are not difficult to cook at home, which would save you some money if you don't like them. Some restaurants will grill or broil them, but I always think they turn out tough that way.
If they have been frozen, you're better off going to the nearest Japanese restaurant and ordering them there. They will cook them tempura style or deep fry with a heavier coating of flour. This is the only way my husband likes them.
Don't forget - it is called soft shelled crabs because the crab is molting and in order to grow, it needs to shed its hard shell. Yum I want to go on a binge like Dogmama50 described!
Don't forget - it is called soft shelled crabs because the crab is molting and in order to grow, it needs to shed its hard shell. Yum I want to go on a binge like Dogmama50 described!
My grocery store mis-priced fresh ones for $2.99 a pound instead of $2.99 each. I bought a dozen and froze them in 4 packs.
What I don't understand is aren't you eating parts of the crab you wouldn't want to eat otherwise?
If you get live ones (the best) just remove the gills from under each side of the top shell, the apron (that piece that folds-up under the crab) and the eyes/mouth (face) - and it's ready for cookin'.
The crab gills aren't poisonous - they just don't tast very good. And the other bits are just tough, so you remove them to have a nice tender crab.
I assume you are eating their guts since nothing has been said about cleaning them like that? I would still like to try them but I have never seen them offered anywhere around here.
I assume you are eating their guts since nothing has been said about cleaning them like that? I would still like to try them but I have never seen them offered anywhere around here.
The apron that is removed before cooking is the guts. The gills are removed because they don't taste good. So you're left with the crabmeat that would usually be picked out of a cooked hard crab and the paper-thin soft shell.
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