Eating Crab with the Shell On! (Soft-shell crab taste test)

Crab. It's iconic, it's delicious, but it's expensive.

Luckily, the Whole Foods on Metcalf was closing down, and I happen to work for their seafood department. Ever since we got in soft shell crabs a last week, I'd been planning on buying some during the store closing sale. Alas, when I arrived, there was only one left! So I fought off some other buyers (it was a fistfight that involved a dinosaur, Gandalf, and my manager), and bought the last soft-shell blue crab.

Soft-shell crabs are crabs that have been caught in their molting stage. This means they are soft enough to eat whole. Yes, my midwestern friends, that means eating the crab shell along with the meat.

Let's get straight into how I prepared them and my verdict on the taste.

Step One: Cleaning the Crab

Uncleaned Crab

Most people recommend that you clean your crabs before eating them. This means cutting away the flap on the underside of the crab (it's reproductive organs), the mouth and eyes, and its gills. I think the nickname for the gills is deadman's fingers or something weird.

Once that's done, wash off your crab in cold water and pat dry. Don't leave it wet. That will make it hard to bread.

My crab already had the flap cut off

This is what it should look like after cutting off the eyes and mouth

Cut off those gills! 

Step Two: Breading

We're doing a real simple breading process. Basically, you get whatever flour option you choose on the crab first. This helps the egg stick. Then, dip in the egg, and finally, back into the flour. I chose to season my crab after frying, which worked well for me. I usually season the flour and add more after frying, but alas.

Ready for the fryer! Also, baby photobomb

I imagine the crabs would also be good with a beer batter type crust.

Step Three: Frying 

Fry em! We used grapeseed oil. You can use whatever you like. Just get them golden brown on both sides.

Step Four: Season and Eat

I used Old Bay lemon and herbs seasoning. You could use cajun seasoning, whatever.

Ye old crab 

Voila! That's it! I love the simplicity of soft shell crabs. You eat the whole animal, it's a self contained food, it's seafood. What else do you want?

Now, the texture is pretty different. The cooking firms up the shell a bit, so you get this crunchy texture from the fry, but it's still chewable. One of my favorite things about doing crab this way is that you bite into a fried leg and you get that succulent crab juice explode in your mouth at the same time. It's unlike any other seafood.

Laura wasn't a huge fan, though she ate most of hers. I would say, overall, it ranks pretty high for me. I want to experiment more with them, but they are pricey in the interior states. If you find yourself on a coast or in a grocery store that carries them though, don't pass up the opportunity to get these tasty treats. As always, stay nerdy!