What I’m looking to find are soft-shell clams. Haven’t had them in 40 years, and haven’t even seen them in a fish market in decades. Loved them as a kid.
I don’t know that they taste better, necessarily, but they do have their own particular flavor. And yes, you can only get them fresh from (generally) late spring to early fall, so the somewhat limited availability I suppose could make some folks consider them a delicacy. They’re also quite a bit of work for the watermen who do this to process.
We belong to a seafood CSA and usually get a couple deliveries of soft shells from each run. They are pretty good fried and eaten in a sandwich (I usually top 'em with cole slaw too, for added crunch).
Good to know. I don’t mind eating generic innards, but the gills in the Dungeness crabs that I usually eat always struck me as inedible.
My mom ordered as soft shell crab sandwich assuming that it would be crab and fixin’s in a soft shell tortilla. The look on her face when the blue spider sandwich arrived was priceless.
I traded her my pulled pork sandwich - best trade ever! I’d love to try it again but you don’t run into soft shelled crab much in Idaho.
Yeah, they remove the gills, guts, and gonads. The rest is pure good eating!
Known as steamers here in New England. They’re plentiful in the Northeast, but the rest of the country may not get many. Steamers usually refer to Littleneck clams outside of New England, so don’t expect to get them that way. Last year the availability was pretty good, and prices in the $3-$4 a pound range (expensive for something that is more than half shell weight, but not bad for steamers lately).
ETA: I see you are in Schenectady. I’d think there must be someplace in the area carrying soft shell clams. You’re local fish market could probably get some in if you ask them.
Yes- softshell crabs are much easier to eat. Frankly, cracking a harshell blue crab and extracting the meat is a TON of work, for a very small return.
The jonah/rock crabs commony sold in the NE are even worse-and when you crack the shells, they break into little pieces that get in the meat.
I can do without the gills. But I thought the crab ovaries were supposed to be the yummiest part (at least according to my wife and other Chinese folks I’ve talked to).
I have discovered that they’re called “Ipswitch” clams here, though they are hard to get.
ug. i cannot go near a spider roll. they are disgusting - and i’m a bona fide sushi addict. the divemaster loves them, bless his cotton socks. i leave him to it. :eek:
Uff don’t deep fry a soft shell… dust it with flour and pan saute in butter.
At Texas (& probably Louisiana) sushi joints, you can get rolls made with soft shelled crawfish! They look alien but taste great…
Exact same thing happened to me. I ordered it expecting a soft shell ‘crab salad’ sandwich or something, and instead I get an Alien Facehugger on a raft! Grinned, beared & ate it though. Wasn’t bad at all, but I couldn’t face it again…
Understandable. But, I’m afraid you’ll have to – briefly – when it hatches.