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Trying again now that I have the right thread - who's had good softshells at a restaurant in NoVa (pref. Arlington) or DC recently?  I'm looking for preparations other than deep-fried, so I can taste the crab.  I'm told that Dino has had very good ones that they grill.

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I'm pretty sure he won't mind the re-post from Facebook.  "We" is L'auberge Chez Francois:

Chef Jacques Haeringer: We get our soft shells for the last 20 plus years from Baxter seafood in st Mary's. I personally inspect every shell making sure we get the best for our customers! And a tradition started by papa is an extra stuffing of jumbo lump crab meat! Soft shell season is thru September.. Come out and try them! Bon appetite!

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Trying again now that I have the right thread - who's had good softshells at a restaurant in NoVa (pref. Arlington) or DC recently?  I'm looking for preparations other than deep-fried, so I can taste the crab.  I'm told that Dino has had very good ones that they grill.

Some of the best softshell dishes I've had are at mom-n-pop Vietnamese or other Asian restaurants. They may not be the highest quality crabs, but they're less expensive, and a soy or ponzu sauce always goes straight to my heart. Maybe try Minh's?

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FYI

Baxters is a peeler house.  And peeler houses can legally get their crabs from anywhere and if they molt in Maryland, legally call them a Maryland Softshell.

But the crab undergoes changes from the day it enters the peeler stage.  Keeping it from molting via temperature doesn't stop these changes and the result can be a papery crab with a low weight to size ratio.  There simply aren't enough crabs being harvested in the Bay to account for all the "Maryland Softshells" this year.  Prices are insanely high.

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FYI

Baxters is a peeler house.  And peeler houses can legally get their crabs from anywhere and if they molt in Maryland, legally call them a Maryland Softshell.

But the crab undergoes changes from the day it enters the peeler stage.  Keeping it from molting via temperature doesn't stop these changes and the result can be a papery crab with a low weight to size ratio.  There simply aren't enough crabs being harvested in the Bay to account for all the "Maryland Softshells" this year.  Prices are insanely high.

Dean,

You talked a while ago about the "True Blue" program.  I understand 75% of the crab sold in the restaurant must be MD crab to qualify.  Am I safe in assuming that peeler house crabs of unknown provenance can support the requirement if they molt in MD? 

If so..are consumers kind of hurting the local crab industry by buying more softshells?   or maybe helping it (by not depleting the local population)?  Or are the numbers so small as to not matter?

And if so...is there any way to tell if a restaurant is selling true local softshells, if the True Blue program doesn't help in this regard?  And can't a papery crab (I call them 'ghost crabs') happen regardless of provenance, or are you saying the shipping time of a foreign crab greatly increases the chance of a bad/thin crab on my plate?

You certainly don't owe me any answers.  I'm just curious and appreciative of whatever I can learn.

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As far as I know, the True Blue program emphasizes crab meat and not soft shells.  But in any case, tehe is no way to audit the issue... as far as an invoice is concerned, a Florida softshell molting in Maryland days or a week after entering the peeler stage is still a MD softshell.  So when audited, the crab is counted as MD crab.  The problem is the law.

Papery crabs result in a crab that has begun to form its new shell.

This can happen to a MD crab, but it is far more likely to happen to a crab held in the peeler state and not allowed to molt.  While the change in temperature of the crab's environment prevents the molt, it does not stop all changes.  Ironically, once the crab is out of water, the process of shell formation stops {the shell is formed from minerals in the water.  So letting the crab molt and then holding it has less detrimental effect on the quality.  But of course, it lowers shelf life.

I have had great crabs from Baxters, but pretty mediocre ones as well.  The same from crabs from typical wholesalers who go to peeler houses.  Since we switched to a supplier who deals with watermen and not peeler houses, we have had far less issues with less than great crabs.  Of course, we only get crabs about half the time we order them.

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FYI

Baxters is a peeler house.  And peeler houses can legally get their crabs from anywhere and if they molt in Maryland, legally call them a Maryland Softshell.

But the crab undergoes changes from the day it enters the peeler stage.  Keeping it from molting via temperature doesn't stop these changes and the result can be a papery crab with a low weight to size ratio.  There simply aren't enough crabs being harvested in the Bay to account for all the "Maryland Softshells" this year.  Prices are insanely high.

That explains why I haven't seen them on menus so much this summer.  Thanks for the explanation, Dean.

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13 hours ago, cocobinga said:

Desperately seeking softies this weekend when everyone else is (presumably) out of town! Please help.

The sandwich at 2 Amys is always scrumptious.

Had excellent specimens at Chez Bill Sud last week, but at a much higher price point (I recall that it was about $30 for two very large crabs).

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On 5/26/2016 at 3:05 PM, cocobinga said:

Desperately seeking softies this weekend when everyone else is (presumably) out of town! Please help.

I've had them at dino's (sauteed with marinara sauce), convivial (fried as a sandwich during brunch) and dabney (sauteed (i think?) with ramps and some other goodness).  I enjoyed them all...though I think convivial had the biggest/juiciest ones.  

Eater DC Soft-Shell Crab Guide

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On 5/27/2016 at 8:03 AM, Ferhat Yalcin said:

Lunch time we serve them as a sandwich with fries and sriracha aioli, flash fried for 30 seconds. Dinner time they are sitting on Anson Mills grits. 

I had this (at Drift) for lunch today, and boy was it good.  Highly recommended.

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Sautéed softshell crab plated on warm gazpacho on the menu today for lunch at Clarity.  Nicely done.  Last night's dinner menu described an almond crust.  Today's edition at lunch was without crust or breading, so it appears the preparation will vary.  Their website updates the menus daily.

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Any recommendations for soft-shells in Arlington that aren't mostly batter?

I strongly prefer soft-shells sauteed, not deep-fried, but I will take them fried if the batter is light. I had a nice soft-shell banh mi at William Jeffrey's Tavern last night, and the plump crab meat wasn't lost under the batter.

If you know other places in Arlington to get good soft-shells, especially if they're not fried, I'd love to know about them. 

Edit: also happy to know about places in DC and Alexandria, but some nights Arlington is all we have time for, which is why I'd love to know a place there.

In DC, I hope to get to Dino, BlackSalt, and Salt Line before long for some soft-shells.

Thanks!

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Bumping this because I am in dire need of high-quality soft shell crab dishes in northern Virginia, pick up or delivery, and I'm hoping to get some worthwhile suggestions.

For reference, yesterday's Uber Eats delivery from Yindee Thai in Springfield was barely worthy of being fed to cats.

Help?!?!

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Time to revive this topic. We're nearing the end of soft shell crab season, and I'm on a never-ending quest to find the best versions in northern Virginia. Most of the available versions I've come across are from the Americanized Asian restaurants that deep fry them and overly sauce them. So I contacted Tom Sietsema and posted it on his chat today 8/5/2020.

The answers so far are Tracy O'Grady's Green Pig Bistro in Clarendon, where it appears as a Friday special, and RT's Cajun/Creole restaurant across from the Birchmere in Alexandria. I'm looking for others.

Back to Americanized Asian restaurants, one of my faves is Yamazato near the intersection of I-395 and Little River Turnpike. It has the Spider Roll, which uses soft shell crab, so I'm tempted to ask if they offer a soft shell crab standalone dish.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

My research so far -- northern Virginia only -- comes up with RT's in Alexandria and Green Pig Bistro in Arlington on Fridays.

I'm looking for other candidates.

It has been a long time since I've investigated this hypothesis, but I used to find that Vietnamese restaurants - often nondescript Vietnamese restaurants in strip malls - do really well with softshells, and price them gently to boot.

Japanese restaurants charge more, but their saucing just works with me.

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Just now, DonRocks said:

It has been a long time since I've investigated this hypothesis, but I used to find that Vietnamese restaurants - often nondescript Vietnamese restaurants in strip malls - do really well with softshells, and price them gently to boot.

You have just sent me on a mission. I will report back dutifully.

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21 hours ago, captcourt said:

Any reports yet?  she asked, hopefully.

House of Dynasty in the Hayfield area of Alexandria has them on the menu -- General Tso's Soft Shell Crabs and Peking-style Soft Shell Crabs. Uber Eats helped me sample the latter.

Lots of crab, maybe as many as 4 soft shells cut into bite-sized pieces and sauced with the typical on-the-sweet-side Americanized Chinese brown sauce. It might have been on the heavy side, but it certainly rang my soft shell crab bell. Leftovers will be for lunch today.

I have been enjoying House of Dynasty on and off for about 35 years. It is venerable and reliable, although some of its dishes have changed over the years. They are on the slightly-too-much-sauce side of Americanized Chinese dishes these days, but their menu is still very dependable.

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On 8/8/2020 at 2:45 PM, DonRocks said:

It has been a long time since I've investigated this hypothesis, but I used to find that Vietnamese restaurants - often nondescript Vietnamese restaurants in strip malls - do really well with softshells, and price them gently to boot.

Japanese restaurants charge more, but their saucing just works with me.

Putting Don's hypothesis to the test, DoorDash and Hai Duong restaurant in Brookfield Plaza, Springfield, provided us a very nice dinner. This dish was a hit, loaded with softshells and spiced just right.

Cua Lột Chiên Bơ (Fried Softshell Crab With Butter)

The Hai Duong in Springfield's Brookfield Plaza appears not to be affiliated with the others with a similar name in the area. Lady KN enjoyed the seafood stir-fried with vegetables -- Rau Cải Xào Đồ Biển -- and it was also quite good.
 
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6 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Renewing my occasional plea for a great soft shell crab dish in northern Virginia. I would prefer not to cross a bridge into Maryland or DC during the Memorial Day weekend. Any recent raves about soft shells in northern Virginia?

One of the best softshell crab dishes anywhere is the soft shell sandwich at Blue Water Kitchen in Upperville, VA. Chef/ Owner Mike Kozich has a serious pedigree and the soft shells are prepared Citronelle-style (stuffed with lump crabmeat and then tempura battered & fried). Fantastic. May want to call ahead and ensure availability.

Edit: and get there before Upperville starts in two weeks.

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