Soft-shell crab season has arrived, and Philadelphia restaurants are offering a variety of preparations — batter-fried, grilled, pan-seared, stuffed inside a hoagie, and even enveloped in a potato ...

The life cycle of the blue crabs is amazingly complex. They are crustaceans that have a hard shell of a body, so in order to grow, they must molt, or shed their old shell, enlarge themselves and ...

Blue crab is one of the state's top 10 seafood ... It can be eaten when its shell is soft or hard and can be trapped year-round. But the best time is from May to November. Stone crab is also ...

This summer, Trevisan notes, large hard-shell blue crabs cost the equivalent of about $2.50 a pound, and most of the crabs are bigger because they’re thriving in the waters in Venice.

Unlike real crabs, which don’t need a protective shell, hermit crabs have soft and vulnerable abdomens. True crabs already have a hard exterior that protects their bodies.

Soft-shell season comes around every spring for about two weeks and happens as Atlantic blue crabs molt out of their hard shells when the water's climate and outdoor temperature is just right.

Crushers Crabs & Cuisine, 251 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, has outdoor patio dining featuring seafood and hard shell blue crabs. Crab Barn Restaurant & Lounge, 32600 Long Neck Road ...