Here Come the Softies

They come faithfully year after year and vanish as suddenly as they arrive.

Soft-shell crab sauteed in butter and topped with capers and parsley

Bring out the marching band and celebrate the arrival of our succulent soft-shell crab.

All along the coastal Carolinas, in small towns like Kill Devil Hills, McClellanville, Beaufort, Bluffton, and Murrell’s Inlet, blue crabs will soon be bubbling peacefully in long shallow bathtubs. Their sweet and subtle briny flavor is like a taste of the ocean with every bite.

In our southerly cities like Charleston and New Orleans, it’s about to happen.

Now that it’s March blue crabs in South Carolina will soon begin shedding their shells. This process, called molting, allows these sideways scurrying creatures to grow larger. In this unprotected state, they become soft shells and can be cooked into a delicious delicacy that will inspire even the angels to sing.