When is soft shell crab season?
We are in soft shell crab season along the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. It usually starts in early April and runs through October or early November. The season runs longer than the Chesapeake or East Coast. We see very few crabs after the water temperature drops below 50°F. What should we look out for when buying them at a fish market? Make sure they are not wrapped in cellophane, they probably were previously frozen. They should not be cleaned—you should clean them right before cooking. Today with health regulations, it is hard to keep soft shell crabs alive because the health department requires us to keep our coolers at 40°F or below and soft shell crabs will die at those temperatures. They are still good for a few days in the cooler though. And at a restaurant? Try to order soft shell crabs during the months they are harvested. A good indicator for a restaurant is if they are running them off the menu or as a special, you can figure they are fr
