Old Bay Soft Shell Crab Burger

I know you're thinking I'm crazy for this one, but you know what, I think it's crazy that more people aren't putting soft shell crabs on their burgers! I'm here to rectify the situation.

Soft shell crabs are crabs who have shed their hard shells or "molted" and are caught before being able to grow a new one. This means that the entire crab, shell and all, is soft and edible. Soft shell crab season is usually from March to September, depending on where you live. If love seafood, you must try soft shell crabs!

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Every year when my favorite seafood shop gets softies in, a buy a few for my tried and true recipes, and a few to test out some new recipe ideas. I already have a recipe for a soft shell crab burger, but I wanted to do a more traditional one using Old Bay seasoning. It's no secret that crabs and Old Bay go perfectly together!

This burger has all the standard toppings—American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle—but it's also got a special sauce with plenty of Old Bay to compliment the crab. You can cook your burger patties on the grill or in a cast iron pan. The crabs get dredged in Old Bay spiked flour and then pan fried. Load it all up on a soft potato roll and dig in! Grab a few napkins though, this is a messy one.

Enjoy soft shell crab season!

*Note: When buying soft shell crabs, make sure they are alive right up until your fishmonger cleans them. You want them to be as fresh as possible! You can clean them yourself if you like, but I prefer to let them do it for me and then cook the crabs right away when I get home. If you plan on cleaning the crabs yourself, it's very easy! You will need to snip off the face right behind the eyes, remove the gills, and remove the apron. This is a great resource!

*Note: Because they're wet, soft shell crabs have a tendency to to "spit" and pop when added to hot oil. A splatter screen is your friend!

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