Soft-Shell Crab

by Caitlin Collins

Semolina Fried Soft Shell Crab

Toasted Pine Nut Aioli, Spicy Calabrian Chilis

When blue crabs outgrow their shells, they shed the old ones (known as "molting") and their exposed bodies are so soft that they can be eaten whole. The Venetians have long eaten the common Mediterranean crab in this form, but here in the United States, all soft-shell crabs come from the East Coast. At Altura, we get ours from Browne Trading Company.

Daytime Sous Chef Scott Klukas explains, "You can eat the entire crab, and as far as flavor goes, they're a lot sweeter and delicately flavored than dungeness crab, which has a very definitive seafood taste. When you get them in, they should be alive and frisky."

First, the front of the shell is snipped off; this is more humane than dropping them in boiling water because it is akin to instantaneous decapitation.Their entire nerve stem is contained in this front part of the shell, and removing it instantly kills the crab. The soft shell is then folded back and the gills removed. Gills have a less-than-desirable texture when cooked.

Our soft-shell blue crab is currently on our tasting menu, but rumor has it that soon the crab will also be available on our regular dinner menu as well!