How to Cook Vietnamese Soft Shell Crab – Pan Fried & Crispy

Soft shell crabs are Spring food. They are rich, luscious, slightly sweet, and so good you will wish you could find them more often.

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Why Vietnamese Soft Shell Crab is So Amazing

Soft-shell crabs are one of my most treasured foods, so it isn’t really fair that I’m sharing these with you!

It isn’t because I don’t want to share. It is because they are hard to find, and though the soft shell crab season is just beginning, they can usually only be found at specialty markets.

Home cooks might be able to find frozen soft shells-I’ve never tried them, but I can guarantee that Vietnamese restaurants must be buying them frozen because they serve soft shell crabs year-round. 

How Soft Shell Crabs Got Their Name

Soft shell crabs are crabs that are in the process of shedding their old shell as they grow a new, larger shell. They must be removed from the water before the new shell hardens. This happens every three to five days during the growth season from April to September.

My love affair with these sweet and luscious crabs began many years ago—pre–kid is how I remember it. We first discovered Vietnamese food in a sketchy part of town that isn’t so sketchy anymore; it’s actually quite colorful.

I remember reading a restaurant review about a new joint serving Vietnamese delicacies. Since we lived in the mountains then and drove by this exit to get home, we figured we’d stop. Little did we know everyone else had stopped too.

In general, Manservant and I are not waiters. We are not the patient type, but being in a part of town we weren’t yet familiar with, we decided to wait. Life has never been the same since.

What Makes Vietnamese Soft Shell Crabs So Special

Vietnamese soft shell crabs have a perfectly crunchy, light crust made with beer batter. I love this recipe and use it every time I can get my hands on these beautiful crabs.

However, this batter would also work well with shrimp!

 If you have never eaten Vietnamese food, know that it is a world away from Chinese, Japanese, or even Thai.

It has French influences and even uses butter in some sauces. Fresh ingredients are played up, which is one reason I adore Vietnamese cuisine.

This unique cuisine combines sweet and spicy, salty and sour elements in a complex way.

From Take Out to Homemade

As we stood in line at the restaurant, inching forward in this hole in the wall, we slowly found ourselves standing by the kitchen, where we ogled every dish that passed under our noses.

We quickly discovered that soft shell crabs piled high on platters with fresh greens and herbs were quite popular. They looked delectable and smelled addictively good.

Upon being seated in our cozy booth, we immediately placed our order for the crabs. Now, crabs aren’t cheap, but we splurged.

Of course, crabs are still not cheap, and our budget doesn’t seem to have really changed, so they are still a splurge, but a worthy one.

Succulent sweet crabs in a crunchy light batter, wrapped in soft leaf lettuce, filled with fresh herbs, and dipped in a salty, spicy, sweet fish sauce is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Yeah, they are even better than that, whatever that may be.

So it wasn’t too long ago that I found myself in the heart of Denver, near one of the city’s gourmet markets. This is the kind of place you go when you want special meat, fish, or hard-to-find ingredients.

I decided to stop in to see what I might find for dinner and spotted the sign for soft shell crabs. At $8.99 apiece, one has to stop and think how badly one wants said crab – well, at least this one does.

Realizing Manservant was abroad and probably eating at some fancy restaurant on his expense account sealed the deal. I had them clean two and went home and fried these up.

Making Pan Fried Vietnamese Soft Shell Crabs

This recipe would be divine as a filling for soft-shell crab sandwiches. You could stuff it into a bun or use it as part of a Vietnamese banh mi. 

In fact, these beer-battered soft shell crabs would make a divine soft shell crab sandwich recipe dolloped with tartar sauce or remoulade sauce and served on a soft French roll.

I served them Vietnamese style, which meant wrapping them in a lettuce leaf with various herbs. So good and so fresh and this is one way to make a somewhat healthy wrap!

Soft shells are easy to prepare. And fast. I suffered through the photo taking;  I didn’t want to, but knowing I don’t make soft shells often, I wanted to show the kids my idea of a proper last meal.

This was one quick photo shoot because I didn’t want to rewarm these babes. I didn’t want to lose the crunch or the heat. I wanted to savor the salt of the sea and the sweet white crab as quickly as possible.

I just have one last thing to add. I wish I would have bought three.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vietnamese Recipes to Try

Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad)

Grilled Pork Noodle Bowls

Vietnamese Chicken Corn Soup

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