soft-shell crab


noun

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

Origin of soft-shell crab

First recorded in 1835–45

British Dictionary definitions for soft-shell crab

soft-shell crab

noun

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