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soft-shell crab

noun

  1. a crab, especially the blue crab, that has recently molted and therefore has a soft, edible shell.


soft-shell crab

noun

  1. a crab, esp of the edible species Cancer pagurus, that has recently moulted and has not yet formed its new shell Compare hard-shell crab
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of soft-shell crab1

First recorded in 1835–45
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Example Sentences

In January, during Orange City’s annual manatee festival, food trucks hawked soft-shell crab and alligator sausage.

There’s also flavorful Tokyo-style ramen, soft-shell crab tempura that arrives looking like a claw emerging from the bowl, and a selection of more than a dozen sakes.

A week into its opening, the buttermilk soft-shell crab slider is already one of the most talked-about bar noshes in the bar scene.

Pilots ate cream of crab soup and soft-shell crab sandwiches, fresh as could be.

Expect Western twists on classic dishes, such as soft-shell crab served with a tomatillo base or elk striploin with wild mushrooms.

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