Maryland Softshell Crab

The weather has warmed and waterman have begun their annual harvest of Soft Shell Blue Crab.

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Shortly after molting, these crabs are packed and flown out to us where they arrive to our restaurants alive and kicking several days a week.  

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Each crab comes out of the water at the peak of tenderness ready to be enjoyed!

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INTERSTING FACTS:

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• Crustaceans must shed their exoskeleton to grow, when they do this it is called “molting” (ecdysis)
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• Soft Shell Crabs have been removed from the water prior to growing a new shell
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• Female crabs only mate once in their lifetimes (but spawn multiple times)
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• The Female Blue Crab stock in the Chesapeake is at its highest level in 28 years (April 2017)
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• Waterman look for signs on the crabs shell which will tell them when the crabs are going to molt – white, pink, and red
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• A red outline on the swimming fin indicates that a crab will molt in less than two days, this is the “red-sign”
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