Maryland Soft Shell Crabs - Whale (5½–6 in)

Whale Soft Shells for Homesick Chesapeake Appetites

The grade name oversells the animal but not the impression. At 5½–6 in, a whale is among the largest soft crabs we handle: a blue crab that shed its shell late in life and got scooped up in the tender hours that followed. On the plate it reads as abundance: wide body, long crisp legs, meat in every quarter.

Where the Whale Sits on the Ladder

Soft crab grades stack by the ½ ft, and the whale stands one step below our very largest and one above the jumbo. Choose it when you want an unmistakable centerpiece that still fits a standard skillet. Sear it in butter, batter and fry it, or lay it over grits and let the pan drippings become the sauce.

The Expat's Order

The reviews on this size read like postcards. Customers in Florida write that these deliveries are how they keep Maryland on the menu; another in Maine said a box of soft crabs and steamed crabs brought the Chesapeake to New England, arriving cold, on time, and tasting exactly as remembered. When people move away from the bay, this is the grade they seem to order first.

Held at the Perfect Hour

Because a crab's new shell begins firming within hours of the molt, whales are cleaned and frozen the moment they are ready, then travel in an insulated cooler kept cold with dry ice and gel packs. Thaw before cooking and the window reopens in your kitchen.

To understand why a soft crab can be eaten whole while its hard-shelled twin demands a mallet, read our comparison of hard shell and soft shell crabs. Then decide who at your table has earned a whale.