Soft meat and shell Dungenss
- Thread starter seascene
- Start date
The reason the meat is soft is actually pretty cool. When a crab moults it has to pull each limb out of the old shell, inflate it, and then harden the new shell. If you look at crabs claw, imagine it trying to pull the muscle mass of the pincher part out of the super narrow part at the base. It should never fit. This is even more dramatic with something like a lobster or red rock than with a dungeness. Crustaceans are actually able to break down their muscle.... the actual protein of the muscle.... into solution, and leave the underlying framework of the muscle intact. They can then squeeze out of their old shell, inflate their new shell with water pressure, and rapidly reconstitute their muscle mass (they are holding the building blocks in solution). If the shell is not hard there will not be much meat, so should release the crabs.
jeffywestcoast
Well-Known Member
I like to squeeze the legs close the shell, if they are very soft from molting you can bet there is very little meat in there and i will always throw them back just like Bugs said 
I do the same thing, I usually give 2 or 3 of the legs a little squeeze u can tell very easily if it is solid full of meat or not.
I like to squeeze the legs close the shell, if they are very soft from molting you can bet there is very little meat in there and i will always throw them back just like Bugs said
yep, really good advice here. crabs molt by losing everything from their shells to their gills and stomach. when the new carpice grows back it is a size or two too big for the crab living inside. by pinching the LEGS, you can tell if you have a 'soft' shell crab. the few times i have screwed this up and cooked them, i have also noted a strong 'amonia' sort of smell and taste. so pinch a leg before you keep them.
Down here in the states it is Illegal to have any soft-shelled crab in your possession. In addition, like others mentioned, there is no need to keep them....they have no substantial meat anyway. Does anyone know how many times a year they molt? It seems to vary, I will have a pot full of molters, then the next week in a different location, they are all hard-shelled.....
Be safe all, Swanny
Be safe all, Swanny
Gunsmith
Well-Known Member
salty-dog
Member
Some places serve soft shell blue crabs, yes. Some folks swear the meat flavor is so much better, but I don't care for them.
Some states permit keeping softies while others forbid it. In the end, I don't think it really makes any difference as molting is a sign of growth. One thing I did notice when I was crabbing is that some places will buy what you bring in, while others will refuse softies. Others still, would prefer nothing but them.
On average haul of 3000 pounds, there may be 20-30 softies and the price difference between hardhats and softies wasn't enough to warrant the gas to deliver to buyers of softies, so I usually tossed them back.
sammyslabber
Active Member
...or the hard-shells end up eating them
