Where to Go for Soft Shell Crab

Beaufort, Hilton Head and Bluffton served up the finest!

Photo courtesy of the Cru Cafe, Charleston

Always have a gracious plenty. It’s a Southern thing!

In his legendary book, Hoppin’ John’s Lowcountry Cooking, Culinary guru John Martin Taylor says the crabs of Beaufort County are the finest of the fine. “As much as I love Charleston and Edisto,’ he says, “something dramatic happens when you cross Port Royal Sound, a culinary boundary as real as the geographic Fall Line.”

When March rolls around, grab your crab crackers and line your table with newspapers because it’s about to be blue crab season. Be sure to pay attention because the soft shells will come out once the water temperature rises above 50 degrees. Softie season is almost upon us, y’all. The crabs soon will be molting and our mouths melting. Go get ‘em hot.

Indescribable joy accompanies the arrival each spring of our beloved soft-shell blue crabs.  These beautiful swimmers create enough ecstasy to cause even the angels to sing.  Festivals are everywhere, and blue crabs become like little pied pipers, leading locals and visitors to the nearest restaurant.

If you’ve ever picked through the calcified shell of a blue crab in search of tender meat, you know it is not easy.  That’s why chefs across the country go wild when the weather warms up and the sea delivers a bumper crop of floppy, soft-shells.  

In small towns like McClellanville and Murrell’s Inlet, blue crabs bubble peacefully in long, shallow bathtubs all along the coastal Carolinas.  These are holding tanks for the blue crabs in various stages of molting or shedding their outer shells. Rather than scour the ocean floor for soft-shelled crabs, fishermen capture them before they molt and hold them in saltwater tanks.  As soon as the crabs drop their shells, they’re pulled out of the tank, which stops a new exoskeleton from hardening. After shedding its old shell, the crab expands by pumping water into its body, and the new shell begins to form.  

In this state, almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat.  They are typically deep-fried, sauteed, or grilled.  “They molt more often when they’re small and less often as they grow,” says Craig Reaves of Beaufort’s Sea Eagle Market. Molting allows these sideways scurrying creatures to grow larger.  In this unprotected state, they become soft shells and can be cooked into a delicacy delicious enough to bring even the most sophisticated gourmands to their knees. Their sweet and subtle briny flavor is the taste of the ocean itself.

Their salty aroma is as nose-wrinkling as wasabi, and the sheer ecstasy that comes with them is inexplicable. If they were musical, they would be little Pied Pipers, with people following them into restaurants on the coast, Pawley’s Island, Charleston, Beaufort, and on down the coast.  They are a gift to us we do not deserve.  They come faithfully year after year and vanish almost as suddenly as they arrive. Enjoy them until they leave, knowing their presence will haunt us with their sweetness and evanescence until they return.

“When a blue crab is ready to molt, it is known as a “peeler” crab.  Once it starts to molt, the crab cracks the back of the shell and slowly backs out.  It’s then in the softshell condition. This is called “busting,” explained Craig Reaves. “The time to complete this phase varies, but it can take as little as 2 to 3 hours to complete the molt.”

Where to get your soft shell crab fix in Beaufort County.

Whether prepared elegantly with asparagus and brown rice or merely slapped into a hamburger bun, soft-shell crabs are a delicacy of the sea.

Charlie’s L’etoile Verte

Hudson’s Seafood on the Docks

The Sage Room

Sea Eagle Market

Benny Hudson Seafood

Bluffton Oyster Company

Russo’s

Gay Fish Company

Foolish Frog

Dockside

Beedos

Keep accompaniments simple and seasonal.  In the late spring, serve a sauteed crab atop a fat slice of heirloom tomato.  In springtime, place it beside peas, greens, and a couple of ramps. 

Watch out; this sandwich has legs.

With soft shells, there’s no waste. You’re eating a crab, the whole crab, minus a few parts like the eyes, mouth, and gills. They are little treasures from the ocean. Just one bite, and you will be hooked.

Great spots for soft-shell crab in Charleston:

My must-visits are the Charleston Crab House, Cru Cafe, Fig, Hank’s Seafood, Magnolia’s, Shem Creek Crab House, The Darling, the Grocery, and The Ordinary.

photo courtesy of Shem Creek Crab House

A.W. Shuck’s Seafood Shack

Fig Restaurant, Charleston

If you want to try making this delicious sandwich at home, here’s how it’s done. The recipe comes from many years ago when our boat captain, Billy, made these for guests aboard our boat. I’ve been making them this way ever since. If you’ve ever fried a piece of chicken, you can fry a soft-shell crab. Simple and delicious!

Deep-fried Soft-shell Crab Sandwich

Crispy on the outside with tender, sweet bursts of flavor on the inside.  Plan on one soft-shell crab per person.

Serves 8

8 soft-shell crabs

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups whole milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

ground cayenne pepper

vegetable oil for frying

¾ cup all-purpose flour, divided

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Herb mayonnaise, homemade tartar sauce, and buns

Beat eggs together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in the milk and gradually whisk in about ½ cup flour, sifting it over the top a little at a time until it forms a thin batter.  Season well with salt, pepper and cayenne. Set aside and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Pour enough oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to come no more than halfway up the sides.  Heat it over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking and the top shimmers, 365 degrees. Spread ¼ of the flour in a wide, shallow bowl.

Stir the batter, then lightly roll a crab in four, shake off the excess, and dip it into the batter until it is coated. Lift it out, allowing the excess batter to flow back into the bowl, and slip it into the fat. Repeat with more crab until the pan is full but not crowded. Fry, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  They will float when done.  Lift them out with tongs, drain them, and put them on a rack in a warm oven while you finish frying the remaining crabs.

Every store-bought tartar sauce I’ve ever tried has been totally disappointing. Here’s a quick and simple way to make your own in no time at all. It’s worth the effort.

Tartar Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup dill pickles

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Stir together, and bam - there’s your sauce!

This newsletter is part of a bi-monthly series about the food of the Carolinas. The series covers the history of the region’s food, profiles the people who grow it, catch it, and cook it, offers cooking tips, and passes along some of our favorite recipes.

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