Soft Shell Crabs Availability???

[patty1955]

We've had soft shelled crab on Celebrity but I wasn't impressed. For those people saying "never," I've also seen a whole halibut and fresh mussels in the buffet. There were on different cruises.

[keesar]

Book a cruise to Alaska, make sure they have the premium drink package, get them drunk  and they will enjoy the Alaskan king crab that is served on that cruise.  Won't notice the difference...

 

In Blu, I have had crab meat but no actual crab.

[Sykes]

Rather than trying to find it on board, I'd consider booking an itinerary where you can find some good soft shelled crab for lunch during a port stop. It'll almost certainly be better than what you'll find on the boat.

[amusea]

The only time I was able to enjoy them on a cruise ship it was completely by surprise.  It was on Viking and we decided to see what was being featured in the buffet before we went to the main dining room.

And there they were.  By the dozens in the seafood area.  They were beautifully cooked and needless to say we did not go to the dining room that evening.

[Von & John]

9 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Ports in any state that body salt water with blue crabs can be a source of peelers.

 

Just a note: Because of over crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay, most of the blue crabs sold in Maryland are from out of state. Texas is often the source.

 

Here in the Florida county where I now live, there is a supplier of soft shell crabs. They maintain large peeler tanks and harvest the crabs that have just molted. As a result, soft shell crabs are inexpensive in local restaurants.

 

For those not familiar with what a soft shell crab is, it is a crab that has just molted and the new shell has not yet harden. They are lightly floured and fried. You eat the entire crab, soft shell and all.

 

In my forty years of cruising, I have only seen soft shell crab once on a cruise ship. It was on an up scale line where part of the food budget was allocated to visiting the port of the day and buying whatever local specialty was available that day.

 

On my cruise, an announcement was made that soft shell crab was obtained and would be offered in the buffet that night at dinner.

 

Thanks  --  I haven't seen them since I lived in Baltimore...
I moved from there to TX & somehow missed them while there, nor did I see them when I lived in FL... 🙂

[Nick&Simon]

14 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW, I have never seen them on a ship's menu, and that includes Crystal, Silversea, Regent, Seabourn, Oceania and others.  If the smaller luxury ships can't seem to properly include them in their menus, I doubt if a much bigger ship would.

Cunard have them available off menu. 

[odysee]

We had small soft shell crabs on a couple Celebrity cruises in Blu (Aqua Class only)

[NMTraveller]

I know that on HAL you can request certain special meal requests.  Some one in our party had a request for green smoothies at dinner.  It was prearranged before the cruise.

 

I would like to see crab claws and Madagascar shrimp on the menu.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by NMTraveller

[keesar]

22 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Hello all - I have a few family members who want to go on a sailing with me PROVIDED soft shell crabs are on the menu at some point during the sailing...

 

Thus my question, has this ever appeared on any itinerary and if so which one in your most recent sailing memory???

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

 

That is one strange criteria in order to sail.   I would think that just being in the presence of Bon Voyage Bo would be really appetizing.  Sounds like your family members can be really "crabby"  and "shell-fish".  

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, kasowell2 said:

I may be wrong but I think I had them one time in Blu.

Are you sure that they were not actually Blu crabs?😊

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, keesar said:

 

That is one strange criteria in order to sail.   I would think that just being in the presence of Bon Voyage Bo would be really appetizing.  Sounds like your family members can be really "crabby"  and "shell-fish".  

... and you thought I was the challenge! LOL

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[Denny01]

Just a few minor differences with some of the posts.

 

in most cases you don’t have to worry about the ‘crab’ staring at you. Soft shell crabs are usually served with the eyes and beak removed. Pretty much nothing else. Great stuff

 

Soft shell crab and King Crab have little in common except they’re crab in different forms. I don’t think they taste anything even close. King Crab is pretty much pure crab meat and each piece is the same good smooth taste, while the soft shell has lots of variations in taste and each bite can be a completely different experience.

 

Just my opinion. I’d go crazy if they served it onboard! 

 

den  

Edited June 5, 2021 by Denny01

[Denny01]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

... and you thought I was the challenge! LOL

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

The only challenge you are is getting us all on the same cruise!!

 

We have a family member who is vegetarian also, and that isn’t the challenge. It’s the extended list of things she can’t stand even the smell of, and they aren’t meats! She then says how ‘flexible’ she is……yeah, right!

 

den

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, Denny01 said:

The only challenge you are is getting us all on the same cruise!!

 

We have a family member who is vegetarian also, and that isn’t the challenge. It’s the extended list of things she can’t stand even the smell of, and they aren’t meats! She then says how ‘flexible’ she is……yeah, right!

 

den

den - I promise you that I Am flexible in terms of where I eat... LOL

 

In fact tonight my cousins who are visiting want to go to a seafood restaurant tonight, we are going to the nicest one in the area, and the chef will prepare something for me....

But an eater who has aversions to certain food aromas is quite a challenge because that can limit the fellow diners and what they order not to even think about who orders what at the next table.... good luck on that one. LOL

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[Bo1953]

On 6/4/2021 at 12:00 PM, chemmo said:

 

Like others we have never seen them onboard.

 

However, on several cruises we have planned pre or post cruise special dining/hotel experiences. Perhaps you can research your boarding and disembarkation ports and find a gem of a restaurant.....

 

After travelling the world our most surprising gem was probably the ‘Red Lion’ in the New Forest. A 16C pub serving wonderful traditional pub fare and, at the time we visited, it had a cozy upstairs apartment you could stay in too.

 

Adding special meals/accommodation to pre and post cruise stays is one of those things that adds to the fun of cruising!

 

Hopefully this could prevent you from having to pay high solo supplements !!! However, you could pick up a high pre or post cruise restaurant bill....

I would be better off going solo...LOL

 

Red Lion sounds like a real gem of a place and inviting for sure...thank you for sharing that experience.

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[Bo1953]

On 6/4/2021 at 12:05 PM, LGW59 said:

Bo, if you are picking up the tab, I’ll be happy to be your brother from another mother, I love crab!  I’ll also pay the tip.

Sure thing lgw...

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

16 hours ago, patty1955 said:

We've had soft shelled crab on Celebrity but I wasn't impressed. For those people saying "never," I've also seen a whole halibut and fresh mussels in the buffet. There were on different cruises.

 

And those items were procured in the port where the ship called and served only in the buffet.  I have seen mussels also, but not a whole halibut.  None of this is part of the standard cruise fare.

[patty1955]

Just now, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

And those items were procured in the port where the ship called and served only in the buffet.  I have seen mussels also, but not a whole halibut.  None of this is part of the standard cruise fare.

The halibut was on our first Alaska cruise and I've never seen it since. The mussels were in the Caribbean.

[Bo1953]

16 hours ago, hcat said:

Hi Bo.. an original EDGIE!

 

Nice to see you posting.

Never saw soft shell crabs on X or Royal..your travel group really works you hard!

 

Best regards 

Hcat

LOL - hcat, they do.

 

But it is priceless the resulting enjoyment and fun we all have when traveling together.

 

These are people we have known for years who go with us and some are more challenging than others but once they board, they melt away at the service and enjoyment and entertainment.

 

Good to see you as well...

 

bon voyage

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The mussels I saw were in the Med.  Have fairly recently discovered that it is a good idea to check what's on offer in the buffet when not traveling in a suite.  

[Bo1953]

13 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

Thanks  --  I haven't seen them since I lived in Baltimore...
I moved from there to TX & somehow missed them while there, nor did I see them when I lived in FL... 🙂

When I lived in NYS and Atlanta AND was a carnivore extraordinaire, I would drive to Baltimore once a year late spring to get a bushel or so for cookouts and etc...

 

Those were the days for sure...

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[Denny01]

This thread is a true testament to how we cruisers can take Any subject and turn it into an extended soliloque! Here we are at post #47 on soft shell crabs!!!

 

I think that either shows how we all survive many days at sea…….or there are a ‘few’ of us with 7k+ posts that need to get a life! Fortunately, I can plead that I’m volunteering at my local library and have time to play here. 

 

Of course, that doesn’t explain all the time at home….when my wife sees me madly tapping away, giggling, and she rolls her eyes at my time spent here!

 

But then again, ‘talking’ about soft shell crab is much better than our usual cruise fare of ‘where you from?’, ‘oh, must be nice to be down here where is so warm.’…or ‘how many cruises have you taken and where, and what is your favorite itinerary/port/tour/cruise line?’. Yup. We all ask the same questions dont we.

den

[Bo1953]

7 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

This thread is a true testament to how we cruisers can take Any subject and turn it into an extended soliloque! Here we are at post #47 on soft shell crabs!!!

 

I think that either shows how we all survive many days at sea…….or there are a ‘few’ of us with 7k+ posts that need to get a life! Fortunately, I can plead that I’m volunteering at my local library and have time to play here. 

 

Of course, that doesn’t explain all the time at home….when my wife sees me madly tapping away, giggling, and she rolls her eyes at my time spent here!

 

But then again, ‘talking’ about soft shell crab is much better than our usual cruise fare of ‘where you from?’, ‘oh, must be nice to be down here where is so warm.’…or ‘how many cruises have you taken and where, and what is your favorite itinerary/port/tour/cruise line?’. Yup. We all ask the same questions dont we.

den

den - of course you are at the reference desk right now telling the person standing in front of you that you will help them in one moment... LOL

 

Because you are helping someone online with a soft shell crab question...

 

bon voyage

Edited June 5, 2021 by Bo1953

[Homosassa]

13 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

Thanks  --  I haven't seen them since I lived in Baltimore...
I moved from there to TX & somehow missed them while there, nor did I see them when I lived in FL... 🙂

I live in Citrus County. Not all the restaurants in the county have them, bit I know of two where they are consistently on the menu, or at least they were.

 

A storm two years ago badly damaged the peeler tanks of the supplier and it was unclear if the tanks would be repaired. Then Covid 19 hit and we haven't eaten out in over a year.

 

Looks like I will have to check out the restaurants for the soft shell crabs.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Homosassa

[lobsternight]

Only had them once, not on a cruise but a Gulf Coast road trip in the late 90s. They were so good, but I could not keep them down, the unfortunate aftermath of eating gas station frog legs the day before.