soft-shell crab

American  

noun

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

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soft-shell crab British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of soft-shell crab

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

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

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

At Pesce in Dupont Circle, the soft-shell crab is framed in juicy pineapple sambal, and spare ribs share their carton with a papaya salad that brings tears to the eyes.

From Washington Post • Jul. 23, 2020

And the soft-shell crab was greaselessly fried and fantastically, surreally presented whole — it looked ready to scuttle out of its flat bao, across the table and out the door in protest.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2019

So long as neither of us could prove we were right we quite enjoyed the dispute; but now I can never drink at that pool again without the soft-shell crab laughing at me.

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