The First Soft Shell Crabs of 2025 Have Arrived in Connecticut

Are you a squeamish eater? One of the tastiest seasonal treats that is only available for a brief moment each year is soft shell crab. The first fresh ones of 2025 have just arrived here in Connecticut,

Have you ever eaten a soft shell crab on a hard roll? It took me a long time to take that first bite, but once I did I realized that the experience is nowhere near as bad as you may imagine it to be, and damn they're delicious.

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Blue crab are the most common species that you will find in the seafood markets we have in Connecticut. During March and April down in the warm waters of the Gulf, Florida, and the Chesapeake Bay, blue crab are growing. As they grow the crab slough off their old shell, (Molt) leaving them in a vulnerable state where their armor is weak, and with weakened armor, us humans can eat the whole thing without injuring ourselves.

You may have spent hours hammering away at hard shell blue crab that have covered in Old Bay seasoning. Hard shell Maryland blue crab rarely makes it onto a regular menu in Connecticut, but it's easy to find soft shell blue crab around here right now.

The first soft shell crabs of 2025 have just arrived over this past week around the state, with Stew Leonard's announcing that they have them in stock with a social media post, and I just saw that Big Y in Newtown had some in stock over the weekend. If you need to find me, I'll be waiting for Denmo's to serve up a hot one.