Soft Shell Blue Crab - Big Y® World Class Market®

(Callinectes sapidus)

Soft-shell crabs are one of America’s favorite seafood delicacies. While all crabs shed their shells to grow, only a few species of crab can actually be eaten in this form. The scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, is derived from Latin and Greek. Calli = the beautiful; Nectes = swimmer, sapidus = savory. Blue Crabs grow rather rapidly, 12 – 18 months, from the juvenile stage to adulthood.

Blue Crabs favorite habitat is mud bottoms where they can burrow to lie in wait for prey or hide from enemies. They favor brackish bays.

MOLTING:

As with other crustaceans, the Blue Crab must molt or shed its hard, outer shell as it increases in size. When the body becomes too large for its shell, a new soft shell is formed beneath the hard one. This stage is called “peeler”. The “buster” stage begins with the hard shell splits, and the crab starts to back out of its shell. After freeing itself from the shell, the crab takes in large amounts of water and expands its soft and wrinkled body. The shell hardens in 2 to 3 days, depending on the temperature of the water.

A crab may molt 20 times during its life and with each molting may increase its width ¼ to 1/3 the previous size.

SIZING:

SIZE DIMENSIONS AVG. WT.

Whales | 5.5 inches + | 5.9 oz.

Jumbos | 5 – 5.5 inches | 4.5 oz.

Primes | 4.5 – 5 inches | 3.3 oz.

Hotels | 4 – 4.5 inches | 2.5 oz.

Mediums | 3.5 – 4 inches | 1.8 oz.

The commercial crabbers will harvest the Blue Crab and place in holding tanks according to expected shed dates.

They are typically caught in depths of 1 to 12 feet. Average crab is 14-18 months old.

Most soft shell Blue Crabs are shipped live but typically marketed as fresh. In many cases, the soft shell crab move when touched. If they are hearty and sulong they will arrive live. However, it is most common for them to perish in ulansit. Motion and heat are the biggest factors affecting the Blue Crab mortality. Also, keep in mind that the crab has just gone through a huge ordeal, shedding its shell and then they have to ulavel at a time that they are at their weakest health.

TO LOOK FOR:

The key to a ulue high quality “soft shell” is if the new shell is really “soft”. You do not want “leathers”, which are crabs that stayed in the water too long before being taken out and processed. They can stay in the water for approximately two-hours in cool water and only about an hour in warmer water.

SEASONALITY:

TEXAS

FLORIDA

LOUISIANNA

CAROLINA / MARYLAND

PRODUCT FORMS:

Live

Fresh chilled

PROPER HANDLING/STORAGE:

(FRESH) - Crab should be stored in a perforated container completely covered in flaked ice. A Lexan container is ideal.