Grub Guides

10 New Takes on Soft-shell Crabs That You Should Eat This Season

Mike Price fries soft-shell crab at the Clam.
Mike Price fries soft-shell crab at the Clam. Photo: Courtesy of the Clam

Memorial Day is the beginning of season for sweet, briny soft-shell crabs and, as always, plenty of New York restaurants already have them on their menus. This year, chefs are mixing things up: There’s a ramen-flavored soft-shell crab sandwich at Toro, tempura soft-shell crab with pimento cheese at Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and a curry dish at Uncle Boons. We’ve rounded up some great seasonal specials that you will certainly want to try before they disappear.

Uncle Boons
Price: $14
The Thai Puu Pad Pong Karee dish combines soft-shell crab with yellow curry, garlic, and Chinese celery. The perfect accompaniment to a beer slushie.

Toro
Price: $18
A ramen-flavored soft-shell crab sandwich actually exists: The fish is dusted in cornmeal, fried, and then glazed in a sweet and spicy chili-and-black-pepper sauce. The sandwich is then topped off with mayo, crumbled crunchy ramen noodles, and gem lettuce — all on a Martin’s potato roll.

Piora
Price: $32
Chef Chris Cipollone fries soft-shell crabs and serves them with fiddlehead ferns, frisée, treviso, cherry-pepper relish, and aïoli.

The Clam
Price: $19
You can count on this seafood restaurant to nail soft-shell crab: Mike Price serves it with Dijon mustard vinaigrette and a seasonal salad of radishes, asparagus, frisée, pickled onions, and chives.

The Dutch
Price: $23
The soft-shell “crabwich,” with tomato, okra remoulade, and fries, is only available at lunchtime, but it is perfect for Summer Fridays.

General Assembly
Price: $19
This new restaurant in the former Hurricane Club space serves a play on a classic Louie salad with flash-fried crab, spring asparagus, and a green goddess dressing.

Colonie
Price: $15
In Brooklyn Heights, you’ll find a togarashi-fried soft-shell crab sandwich with tomato-jam chimichurri and a healthy heaping of grilled broccoli rabe.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Price: $16
At dinnertime only, there’s a tempura soft-shell crab with pimento cheese, green tomato, and sesame seeds on the menu — a Southern riff full of ingredients that basically everyone loves.

Beautique
Price: $23
This classy new uptown restaurant offers a super-seasonal salad with soft-shell crab and spring peas.

Cull & Pistol
Price: $17
The Chelsea Market seafood restaurant offers a BLT-style soft-shell crab sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickled ramps, and smoked aïoli. Even if you’re the kind of person who has ramp ennui, you need to get this.

10 New Takes on Soft-shell Crabs That You Should Eat This Season