soft-shell crab

American

noun

a crab, especially the blue crab, that has recently molted and therefore has a soft, edible shell.

soft-shell crab British

noun

a crab, esp of the edible species Cancer pagurus, that has recently moulted and has not yet formed its new shell Compare hard-shell crab

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of soft-shell crab

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

soft-shell crab

I ordered a stir fry of crab and broken rice with greens and yam that came topped with a fried soft-shell crab drizzled with shito, a Ghanaian chili sauce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

The beloved roadside stand’s best offerings are its no-frills fried soft-shell crab sandwiches and fried seafood baskets with a choice of hush puppies or fries.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2021

This was his second time at the market, selling soft-shell crab sandwiches and pork belly buns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2021

It’s the reason today’s fried soft-shell crab and pan-roasted rockfish are superior to the already superb versions served there 10 years ago.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2021

When he drew near they found a soft-shell crab clinging fast to the stiff hair of the zebra's head, where it held on by one claw.

From The Emerald City of Oz by Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023