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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

Chicken, shrimp, soft-shell crab, mixed seafood or tofu can be added to any of the dishes.

From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

If you’d rather eat out, stop at Ricky’s Seafood and Produce for a soft-shell crab sandwich or Poseidon’s Pantry for a gourmet sandwich, then go to Island Creamery for ice cream.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2021

Underrated is the mound of salt-and-pepper soft-shell crab battered in flour and sautéed with garlic and chilies.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2018

The soft-shell crab is blanched five minutes, and fried like fish.

From Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks by Blot, Pierre

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