[fishey]

after boiling the crab i had trapped that same day, 2 hrs prior. a few of them turned out to have very soft and squishy shells on the legs. is this some sort of bad thing that happens to crab? is it still safe to eat?

thx
-fishey

 

[Guest]

i bieleve that happend because it just shedded its shell i dont see why you couldnt eat it never really crabbed this early where did you pull it up .my friend is pulling big ones out at roberts bank tasty big basturds . wish i had some pics of the jumbos he caught .

 

[fishey]

cant tell you were i pulled it up but you think it was in the process of shedding and growing a new shell on the legs?

 

[Guest]

yah y not ive caught super softies in white rock y else would it be soft. i geuss it could of been sick .did you eat it ?

 

[fishey]

no were didnt want to risk it. we had no idea what it was.

 

[Ian]

The meat probably also seemed "small" inside the shell too?

THe Crab has either molted in the not to distant past or is getting ready to molt.

TOtally safe to eat, and easier to extract!

Very best,

IAn

 

[fishey]

ya the meat did seam to have more room in the shell.

thanks for the input.

-fishey

 

[Stress Medicine]

Yea guys, the soft crab is a result of recent molting when they shed their old small shell for a bigger new one. Only thing is they need to grow into it. To start with they sort of fluff up their meat with water to fill the shell until they grow into it. Not sure how long this takes, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the meat. There will be excess water in the shells but personally I really like to slurp it out. You will notice new shell crab are quite white or pale on the under belly and as you noticed the shell is quite soft. Crab that have grown into their shells have noticably harder shells and darker color. Sounds like crabbing is good this time of year on your side of the strait. We limited out on Sunday off Nanaimo both for crab and prawns. Looks like the prawns have finished spawning and in real good shape. Several of the crab were soft shells, but also several had hard shells. Not sure if it is a time of year thing or just a growth thing. Anyway, good luck and full pots.

 

[fishey]

thx. next time there will be no waited crab to the birds.
-fishey

 

[chummer]

Yeah, any crab meat is good meat if not rotten.