Soft-shell crabs return to Asheville restaurants for limited time: Where to find them

ASHEVILLE - Chefs are reveling in soft-shell crab season and diners are reaping the rewards with a slew of new recipes landing on local restaurant menus and specials boards.

Post 25 Kitchen and Lounge offered "day boat and appetizer" fried soft-shell crabs served over a black bean corn salad with chipotle aioli that sold out in two days.

More weekend specials are to come but soft-shell crabs are fleeting.

“If you love them, go and eat them now,” said Sam Kosik, co-owner of Mother Ocean Seafood. “Get them while they last.”

Chef Ashleigh Shanti, owner of Good Hot Fish, said the "softie" season typically begins in mid- to late-April, depending on water temperatures, and it’s lucky if they’re still around in July and August.

Kosik said availability depends on location and that the season opened earlier than expected and may last a month to six weeks, if lucky.

Soft-shell crabs are blue crabs and not a different species, but the soft shell is due to it going through a molting process at this time of year.

“It’s changing its armor, basically,” Kosik said.

Shanti described soft-shell crabs as “sweet, plump, juicy, tomalley-laden parts of the beautiful blue crab without the cracking and picking through its hard exoskeleton.”

“They’re quite pliable. You can eat the crab shell and all,” said Isa’s Bistro’s Executive Chef John Venuto.

Due to its unpredictable season, soft-shell crab dishes may be offered one day and gone the next, so the best bet is to follow restaurants' social media accounts for daily and weekly special updates.

Here are some Asheville restaurants offering inventive soft-shell crab dishes this season.:

Good Hot Fish

Good Hot Fish sources soft-shell crab from purveyors including Local Seafood and is delivered live from Albemarle Sound.

Shanti said Good Hot Fish’s dish is prepared simply to allow the soft-shell crab to shine in all its glory. The crab is dredged in buttermilk and then coated with a special cornmeal breading that includes a locally milled cornmeal blend made for the restaurant by Farm and Sparrow.

The sandwich is built with local lettuce, tomato, white onion, Duke’s mayonnaise and yellow mustard and served on toasted white bread. The cost is $25.

Instagram @goodhotfish

Jargon

Sous chef Paul Taylor introduced a North Carolina soft-shell crab bao prepared with orange sesame glaze, Asian slaw and carrot-ginger puree and served on a house-made steam bun. The cost is $19.

Taylor said the sweet and slightly spicy ingredients complement the slightly sweet nature of the crab and the dish has a buttery, meaty finish. The soft bao contrasts with the texture of the crispy crab and works to soak up the sauce.

Instagram @jargonrestaurant

Mother Ocean Seafood Market

On Mother Ocean’s lunch menu, a cornbread-breaded soft-shell crab po-boy that’s deep-fried in peanut oil and made with a secret Spicewalla seasoning blend. It includes Highgate Farms lettuce and remoulade and is served on bread from Geraldine’s Bakery. It costs $24.

In the retail market, soft-shell crabs are $11 each or six for $60.

While the lunch special is available until supplies run out, the retail crabs are available frozen in the market year-round.

Instagram @motheroceanmarketavl

Isa’s Bistro

Isa Bistro’s sandwich special features a crunchy, deep-fried soft-shell crab, sourced from distributor Inland Seafood, that’s battered in flour with garlic and cilantro and herbs and spices to give it a zesty, Cajun-like flavor, according to Executive Chef John Venuto.

The mixed greens, house-made pickles, fried green tomato and house-made remoulade sauce and served on a brioche bun. The cost is $21.

“It’s an incredibly sweet flavored, juicy and it bursts with pure crab flavor,” Venuto said.

Instagram @isasbistro

Avenue M

Avenue M’s Thai-influenced soft-shell crab, sourced from Core Sounds through Locals Seafood, is dredged in rice flour, pan-fried and served with satay sauce and hot chili chutney over a bed of greens, sourced from Old North Farm in Shelby, dressed with lime juice and sesame oil.

Developed by Chef Zack Ghidottis, the dish features heavy spices and acid from fermented chili in the chutney and lots of garlic, ginger and peanut in the satay sauce and balanced with rich coconut milk. It costs $26.

Instagram @avenuemavl

Jettie Rae’s Oyster House

Jettie Rae’s Oyster House’s sautéed soft-shell crabs, sourced from the Southeast coast, are served with long-cooked grits, charred frisée and a lemon caper beurre blanc. The cost is $39.

Described as a "very rich dish," Executive Chef Will Cisa said the sweetness of the grits and the crab are balanced by the bitterness of the frisée and the sauce's acidity.

Instagram @jettieraes

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Soft-shell crab dishes to try at local restaurants, while they last