Soft Shell Crab

[smtucker]

Courthouse Seafood Market has placed a large sign in the window announcing that they have soft shell crabs. Thought someone might like to know.

[yumyum]

Mmmm.... had a soft shell crab sandwich for lunch. These suckers at Courthouse are BIG and JUICY. Served on a plain roll with tomato and lettuce, you can get a side of tartar or mayo or lemon to dress it yourself. They cook them perfectly and serve with a small portion of fries. $8.95! Spring has finally sprung for me...

NB -- the gal behind the counter said they were flying out the door last Saturday. When they are sold out, they are sold out, as they are fresh and don't hold.

[Prav]

Jealous. :(

[Taralli]

Ddi you notice how much the fish market was selling them for to take home?

[yumyum]

I'm sorry, I didn't walk down the street to the market. They are really good, though, Taralli ... I'd definitely give them a call.

[Taralli]

Just did. 3 left, more expected tomorrow @$7 ea.

[treb]

When there in season, I'm all over them. I like them pan fried, deep fried, anyway they come I'll eat them. Often, if they're on the menu as an app, I'll ask to double them up as an entree.

[itaunas]

An alternate condiment: stop by the market, buy some of their pickled peppers and ask the restaurant to slice or chop them to have with mayo on the sandwich. In cool weather the peppers are self-serve in the bins, but in the heat you have to ask because they store them in the fridge.

[yumyum]

Holy mackerel! That's major houndly behavior. Do you do this?

[itaunas]

I wouldn't ask them to do it when they are busy, but I have had them slice them before to eat with calamari and fried smelts. I don't think I have asked them for it on the soft-shell, but I had a stash of the peppers already in the neighborhood in past years. (Note they are not particularly hot and certainly not the tips, but add a nice flavor.) I have taken advantage of being able to buy fish at the market and have it cooked in the restaurant ($1/lb more). Heck and they have fried mackerel too :-)

[steinpilz]

The freshest soft shells I've gotten around Boston were actually at Savenors in Beacon Hill, they'd been cleaned but were still twitching when I cooked them.

[almansa]

If they're fresh, they're most likely from Florida. The Carolinas come next, then we get Chesapeake Bay crabs in early June. Handy Crabs, the largest processor of softies in the business, sells frozen, pan-dressed crabs year round. That's the kind you can get at places like Trader Joe's in January. Sushi bars and chinese restaurants use them. If you see that the crabs in the seafood case are pan-dressed (cleaned for cooking,) then they probably were frozen a day or two earlier.

[chowfamily]

Thanks for the information. I have been asking at the Rockyneck Fish Co. in East Milton. They don't have them yet, but offered interesting information related to tides and moon.

As a consolation prize, the hard shelled lobsters are delicious.

[SSqwerty]

I got mine at Capt. Marden's last week in Wellesley --they were the small, tarantula-sized ones, which are the size I really like!

[phatchris]

The ssc sandwich at Courthouse has to be one of the best deals around, for $8 you get a huge crab sandwich with fries.

[yumyum]

Thanks so much for posting this. I do believe they are early this year! Anyone seen them in Chinatown yet?

[jdubboston]

A few places in Chinatown do have signs out - I walk Beach St every day to & from work, and know I've noticed them. I'll look more closely tonight and report back specifics...

[yumyum]

Thank you. Usually when one place gets them they all do. But I LOVE me a ssc feast at Peach Farm Seafood.....

[9lives]

I called around tonight. Couldn't find them in CTown. PFS says they're still too expensive for them..they'd need to charge $30/order..and they don't think their clientele would pay it.

My crystal ball tells me that I'll be taking a trip to Courthouse soon..:)