Y’all! A crab shedding is WILD to me. I’ll never ever get over how crazy the process truly is….Nature is so amazing!

I’ve learned so much about a crabs lifecycle in the last couple years and also learned how to make a pretty MEAN Fried Soft Shell Crab Sandwich! Mmmmmm, You’ve gotta try this recipe! Be prepared to be FULL…..and maybe lazy after this meal….warning! Lol

“Soft Shell Crabs…..also known as peelers or busters is produced by taking advantage of a crab’s lifecycle. To grow larger, crabs must molt or shed their old shell. To shed the old shell, a crab swells with water, and busts the old shell along the back edge. The crab then wiggles out through the back. The new shell has already formed and is about a third larger, but it is still soft. The crab will remain truly soft for only a couple of hours in the water. If removed, the hardening stops, so shedders must remove soft shell crabs quickly and at all hours of the day.”

Watch our Time Lapse Video of Crabs Shedding on YouTube!

Directions

Alright y’all, making this sandwich looks fancy and all but the truth is it’s easy peasy!!  Just make sure you fry up those soft shell crabs just right and then the rest is a piece of cake!

THE BREAD……this bread was a fluffy yet crisp ciabatta roll that was SO perfect for the sandwich.  Another key ingredient (in my opinion) is the lemon dill aioli made by Stonewall Kitchen.  We got both the bread and the aioli at Fresh Market 🙂  Once you have those two main ingredients then you’ll just need some fresh tooomaters, lettuce and some thick sliced pickles 🙂 🙂 Mmmmmm!

While we were frying up our soft shell crabs, we toasted the ciabatta rolls in the oven for around 5-7 minutes while we sliced up the fresh produce that was going on the sandwich.  Once everything was ready to go we assembled the CRABBY sandwich!  It was INSANE….insane!  I don’t eat much fried food but when I do I make it worth it….and y’all!  THIS is worth it!!! 🙂

We served it up with some good ol’ french fries and applesauce to take me back to childhood when I’d order fried shrimp, FF, and applesauce at any restaurant with my daddy!

If y’all make this recipe, let us know!!  Tag me on instagram @carolinejarvis to share your photos 🙂  I love it when y’all share your re-creations of our recipes!  We have so much fun making all kinds of seafood recipes and last year we started harvesting our own crabs and this year we’ve got a great system going on to have these crabbies shedding on the daily!  We love it 🙂  I can’t wait to hear how much you love it!!