Soft Shell Crabs

At the first full moon in the month of May, the Blue Crab goes through its natural cycle of molting its coat to form a much harder and stronger shell that most crab eaters are traditionally used to. So for a brief period during the months of May and June, soft shell crabs are harvested and sold for consumption before these hard exteriors are able to grow. This soft exterior allows for the crab to be eaten whole.

Here at the Uptown, we are lightly sauteeing these crabs before topping them off with lemon caper butter. They are served with a side of french style green beans sauteed with applewood smoked bacon, toasted almonds and plugra butter.

Our soft shell crabs are jumbo sized compared to the other categories of crab size. There are 5 different categories that soft shell crab can fall under when categorizing their size:

• Mediums: 3 1/2" to 4"
• Hotels: 4" to 4 1/2"
• Primes: 4 1/2" to 5"
• Jumbos: 5" to 5 1/2"
• Whales: over 5 1/2"

Many people who are not familiar with eating crabs outside the traditional hard-shell are notorious for complaining that there is little to no meat inside. With this in mind, we like to ask our customers "Would you like an extra plate for the shell?" We don't do this to embarrass any eaters, but to prevent them from being disappointed from something that they weren't expecting.

Now that you know what to expect, stop in soon and try a different twist on a favorite shellfish.... it won't be here for long!