Editing Soft-shell crab (section)

{{Short description|Culinary term for molted crabs}}
[[File:Soft-shell crab on ice.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Soft-shelled [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crabs]] in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana]]
[[File:Softshell crab are- in-season.jpg|thumb|Three soft-shell crabs, ready for preparation, and cooking]]
'''Soft-shell crab''' is a [[culinary]] term for [[Crab meat|crab]]s that have recently [[ecdysis|molted]] their old [[exoskeleton]] and are still soft.<ref>{{cite book |author=CiCi Williamson, Garry Pound & Willard Scott |year=2008 |title=The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book: Recipes, People, Places |publisher=[[Menasha Ridge Press]] |isbn=978-0-89732-657-5 |chapter=Shellfish and fish |pages=60–87 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pnuFW6zT0T8C&pg=PA63}}</ref> Soft-shells are removed from the water as soon as they molt or, preferably, just before to prevent any hardening of their shell.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thompson|first1=Fred|title=Crazy for Crab: Every Thing You Need to Know to Enjoy Fabulous Crab at Home|date=2010|publisher=ReadHowYouWant.com|isbn=978-1-45876-388-4|page=7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tebVnrkiLvoC|access-date=15 January 2015}}</ref> Catching soft-shell crab is very time-sensitive and requires that any caught crabs be kept in climate-controlled areas immediately after catching until they molt, at which point they can be safely removed and sold.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Manton|first=Keegan|date=12 November 2021|title=Soft-Shell Crab {{!}} Can You Really Eat The Whole Thing?|url=https://alifeofmastery.com/soft-shell-crab/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117105921/https://alifeofmastery.com/soft-shell-crab/|archive-date=17 November 2021|access-date=17 November 2021|website=A Life of Mastery}}</ref>

This means that almost the entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat.<ref name="Mouritsen" /> The exceptions are the [[arthropod mouthparts|mouthparts]], the [[gill]]s and the [[abdomen|abdominal cover]], which are discarded ("cleaned").<ref>{{cite book |author=Tracy Barr |year=2011 |title=Cast Iron Cooking For Dummies |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=9781118053188 |chapter=Soft-shell crabs |pages=137–138 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1w7nI_KRoX4C&pg=PT137}}</ref> The remaining, edible part of the crab is typically [[deep frying|deep-fried]] or [[Sautéing|sautéed]].<ref name="Mouritsen" />