Instructions: There are those who love softshell crabs and those who prefer the hardshell version of Blue Crab, taken from the water only slightly later in its life. In fact, crabs are only without a shell for a few hours, so crabbers who hope to whisk the vulnerable shell-less crabs off to market must keep a round-the-clock watch.

Despite their name, softshell crabs are somewhat crunchy. And the softshell lovers seem to relish the crunch.

"I love the texture, especially if theyre breaded and pan-fried and served in a sandwich. The legs are crispy like French fries. Theyre my favorite part," says Don Morrison, of Gray, Maine, who works in the seafood industry.

Julie Scofield, of Deland, Florida agrees. "We like to go to the fish camps on the coast and eat deep-fried softshell crab sandwiches. My kids like the way the crab legs look hanging out of the sandwich buns."

The crunch, though, makes others prefer the regular hardshell blue crabs to the softshell variety. Aileen Peters, a long-time Maryland resident, admits that despite the availability of softshell crabs in her area, she much prefers regular hardshell blue crabs to the softshell ones. "I could have all the softshell crabs I want right off my dock, but I cant get past the crunch," said Peters.

The gap between the softshell crab "lovers" and "haters"

will likely never be bridged. Fortunately, it only depends on the timing of the catch.

Natures signals give the crabbers their advantage. About two weeks before molting, white lines appear on the crab shells. Then, two days before, the crabs paddles (the flat end pieces on the hind legs) change in color from pink to red. At this point the crabs are generally checked every hour. When the shells are shed, the "softshell" crabs are removed from the holding tanks and shipped to market.

Not all softshell crabs originate in Marylands Chesapeake Bay, although the state is probably the best-known blue crab producer, and crabbing towns such as Crisfield, Md. boast of being the "Softshell Crab Capital of the World." Some states, such as North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida also market softshells.

Sometimes softshells from these other states are shipped to Maryland for processing, and then are sold as "Maryland" crabs, so it can be difficult to determine the origin of some crabs. Chances are, however, that if softshells show up in April, theyre not originally from Maryland. Why? The Chesapeake Bay water temperature doesnt reach molt-inducing temperature (near 70 degrees) until sometime in May, while more southern waters warm up earlier.

Softshell crabs can be a fancy dish or a simple one. Softshell crabs can be sauteed, grilled, pan-fried and deep-fried. Residents of crabbing towns such as Crisfield prefer fried softshells (either pan-fried or deep-fried), while upscale restaurants often serve them sauteed.

Clean fresh softshell crabs unless they were harvested within the last two hours. Cleaning crabs isnt very difficult, the problem is that the crabs are alive when the job is done. If this isnt appealing, ask the fish market to clean them, or find a willing friend to help out.

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