Last year’s softie season was marked by the early days of the pandemic, so this year, local chefs and restaurateurs are champing at the bit to get them on their menus. And as we head into April, you can already find these crunchy crabs at several local spots. Whether you’re looking to stop into a local restaurant for your softies or picking them up to prepare at home, these are the Charleston-area establishments with soft-shell crabs.
Editor’s Note: This list will be updated as the soft-shell season continues — if you’ve got crabs, email parker@charlestoncitypaper.com.
The soft-shell crab “Big Mac” is back for the fourth straight year at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co.
Daniel Island waterfront restaurant The Kingstide is serving a soft-shell crab dish with chorizo, carrots and sour peanuts in a Thai verde sauce.
Order Fleet Landing’s renowned soft-shell crab BLT with the side dish of your choosing.
Spice up your home cooking game by picking up some softies from James Island seafood house CudaCo., where they’re available for $14 per crab. You can also order CudaCo.’s soft-shell crab sandwich ($20), which combines a whole crab with a house-made remoulade inside a Martin’s roll.
Seafood market Simmons Seafood, which has been an Isle of Palms fixture since 1947, has a limited supply of softies available for purchase.
Slightly North of Broad is serving a dish featuring fried soft-shell crabs with curried butter beans, kale, tomato and Carolina gold rice middlings.
Tarvin Seafood has a limited supply of soft-shell crabs available for retail purchase. Get yours for $8 per crab by texting (843)-425-8695 with your name and the number of crabs you’d like to order.
Ville Sainte Bistro’s softies are sautéed in butter, garlic and parsley. The crab is served on a bed of local bibb lettuce dressed with champagne vinaigrette and a side of homemade succotash.
Cru Cafe gets its soft-shell crabs from Crosby’s and serves them buttermilk fried with a blistered heirloom cherry tomato salad.
Pink Cactus is serving a soft-shell crab fried in masa batter with a Mexican street corn salad for $27.
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