Soft shell crab
Encyclopedia
Soft-shell crab is a culinary term for crab
s which have recently molted
their old exoskeleton
and are still soft.
In the United States
, the main species is the "blue crab", Callinectes sapidus, which appears in markets from April to September. In Japan
, various species are used to make sushi
such as maki-zushi or temaki-zushi; the Japanese blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus
) or the shore swimming crab (Charybdis japonica
) is typically used. In Italy
, the soft-shell of the common Mediterranean crab
is a delicacy typical of the Venetian lagoon
(called moeca in the local idiom).
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s which have recently molted
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in many invertebrates. This process of moulting is the defining feature of the clade Ecdysozoa, comprising the arthropods, nematodes, velvet worms, horsehair worms, rotifers, tardigrades and Cephalorhyncha...
their old exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
and are still soft.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the main species is the "blue crab", Callinectes sapidus, which appears in markets from April to September. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, various species are used to make sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
such as maki-zushi or temaki-zushi; the Japanese blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus
Portunus trituberculatus
Portunus trituberculatus, the gazami crab, Japanese blue crab or horse crab, is the most widely fished species of crab in the world. It is found off the coasts of East Asia and is closely related to Portunus pelagicus.-Fishery:P...
) or the shore swimming crab (Charybdis japonica
Charybdis japonica
Charybdis japonica, the Asian paddle crab, is a swimming crab species in the genus Charybdis. Charybdis japonica has a hexagonal, concave carapace around wide, the whole animal being pale green to olive green in colour....
) is typically used. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the soft-shell of the common Mediterranean crab
Carcinus aestuarii
Carcinus aestuarii is a littoral crab, native to the Mediterranean Sea. It bears some similarities to Carcinus maenas and was sometimes considered to be a subspecies thereof, rather than a species in its own right, but a molecular biological study using the COI gene found the difference between the...
is a delicacy typical of the Venetian lagoon
Venetian Lagoon
The Venetian Lagoon is the enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Venetian language, Laguna Veneta— cognate of Latin lacus, "lake"— has provided the international name for an enclosed, shallow embayment of saltwater, a lagoon.The Venetian Lagoon...
(called moeca in the local idiom).