Editing Soft-shell crab (section)

==Regional cuisine==
[[File:Soft shell crab (3196520484).jpg|thumb|Fried soft-shell crab]]
In the [[United States]], the main species is the  blue crab, ''[[Callinectes sapidus]]'', which appears in markets from April to September.<ref>{{cite book |author=Delilah Winder & Jennifer Lindner McGlinn |year=2006 |title=Delilah's Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking with Style |publisher=[[Running Press]]|isbn=9780762426010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lhyS9nigr00C&pg=PA111}}</ref>

In the Deep South region of the United States, most notably the Gulf coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, "Buster crab" can be a synonym for a plump, meaty soft-shell crab. ("[[Buster Crabbe]]" was a famous movie star, known for playing Flash Gordon). However, the original meaning of Buster crab referred to either a soft-shell that had yet to complete molting, or to a soft-shell that had died before being provided to a seafood vendor, and was then consumed quickly by the crabbers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thefoodalmanac.com/joomla1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2110:soft-shell-crabs&catid=275:shellfish-guide|title=Soft-Shell Crabs|last=Fitzmorris|first=Tom|website=thefoodalmanac.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bluecrab.info/glossary.html|title=BLUECRAB.INFO - Blue Crab Glossary of Terms|website=www.bluecrab.info|access-date=2018-08-12}}</ref>

In [[Japan]], various species are used to make [[sushi]] such as ''maki-zushi'' or ''temaki-zushi''.<ref name="Mouritsen">{{cite book |author=Ole G. Mouritsen |year=2009 |title=Sushi: Food for the Eye, the Body and the Soul |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |isbn=978-1-4419-0617-5 |chapter=Sushi à la carte |pages=202–250 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJxuV-0eT4UC&pg=PA226}}</ref> The Japanese blue crab (''[[Portunus trituberculatus]]'') or the shore swimming crab (''[[Charybdis japonica]]'') are typically used.{{cn|date=August 2023}} 

In [[Spain]], soft-shell crustaceans are typical in the coastal region of [[Andalusia]]. Irrespective of the species, they are called ''chiguatos'', from the local slang verb ''achiguatar'', meaning ''to soften''. Typical preparations include [[velvet crab]]s (''Necora puber'') and [[langoustines]] (''Nephrops norvegicus''), which are highly regarded delicacies of [[Sanlucar de Barrameda]],<ref>García Rodríguez J.C.“La cocina sanluqueña y sus mejores recetas “, Sanlúcar de Bda., 2000</ref> and [[European lobster|lobster]] (''Homarus gammarus'') (called ''langosta chiguata''), which is typical along the coast of [[Málaga]]. Typically, they are deep-fried and served with a [[vinaigrette]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/08/20/gastronotas_de_capel/1566325404_646145.html 
|title= Los Marinos José, el éxito de la sencillez|publisher=El País|access-date= August 21, 2019 |df=}}
</ref>

In [[Italy]], the soft-shell of the common [[Carcinus aestuarii|Mediterranean crab]] is a delicacy typical of the [[Venetian lagoon]] (called ''moeca''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parcoalimentare.ve.it/dati/prodotti/tradizionali/en/ittici/moeca.htm |title=Moeca (soft-shell crab) |publisher=Parco Alimentare Venezia Orientale |access-date=January 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722065033/http://www.parcoalimentare.ve.it/dati/prodotti/tradizionali/en/ittici/moeca.htm |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref name="Cain-2022">{{cite web | access-date=2022-10-14 | year=2022 | last=Cain | first=Jacqueline | title=At Moëca, a Talented Cambridge Restaurant Team Takes on Seafood | website=[[Boston Magazine]] | url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2022/08/05/first-look-moeca-cambridge/}}</ref> or ''moeche''<ref name="Bianchi-2016">{{cite web | access-date=2022-10-14 | year=2016 | last=Bianchi | first=Alessandro | title=Fishing for crabs: Venice's culinary Moeche delicacy | website=[[Reuters]] | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-crabs-idUSKCN0YI1LM}}</ref> in the local idiom).

Soft-shell crabs can have the soft organs along the dorsal cavity removed during cleaning, or they can be left in for consumption. In the latter case, along the US Atlantic coast, the customer asks the vendor to leave "the mustard", referring to the yellow-orange color of the [[Tomalley|hepatopancreas]], and the deep orange of the roe in a female crab.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/V11N2/side4/|title=Chesapeake Quarterly Volume 11 Number 2: Glossary of Blue Crab Biology|last=Grant|first=Maryland Sea|website=www.chesapeakequarterly.net|access-date=2018-08-12}}</ref>