June is soft-shell crab month at eight SoDel Concepts restaurants

Steamed crabs are a beloved dish at the beach, but increasingly, soft-shell crabs have become the darling of coastal diners, partly because they’re so versatile. To showcase the many possibilities, SoDel Concepts’ eight coastal restaurants are featuring soft-shell crabs all June.

“Offering local, seasonal food continues to be a hot restaurant trend, and soft-shell crabs are both local and seasonal at this time of year,” said Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts. “We can serve a dish that’s become a favorite for so many of our customers in so many different ways.”

SoDel Concepts’ chefs are getting creative - and more than a little competitive - during soft-shell crab month. “While preparing soft-shell crabs is a tradition along the culinary coast, each chef can bring an individual style to the dish,” said Doug Ruley, corporate chef for the company. “While all of our chefs are happy to collaborate on projects, they’re all vying to prepare the most delicious soft-shell dish to impress both customers and their colleagues.”

At Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island, for instance, customers can find soft-shell crab prepared two ways. The first features two soft-shells battered and deep-fried then placed atop a bed of sizzling peppers and onions and served with warm corn fajitas, rice, beans and crema. Or they can opt for two tacos with a battered, deep-fried soft-shell served on a bed of cabbage and topped with pickled onions, cilantro and a drizzle of sriracha cream. The tacos also come with rice and beans.

Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach is also serving soft-shell crab tacos. At NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, guests can try the flash-fried soft-shell crabs, served with a farm salad made from local greens, basil-mayonnaise, tartar sauce and lemon.

Lupo Italian Kitchen is taking a Mediterranean approach by serving buttermilk-fried crabs with marbled peewee potatoes and gremolata (an Italian condiment made with parsley, lemon zest, olive oil and garlic).

At Fish On in Lewes, guests can tuck into crisp yet succulent flash-fried jumbo soft-shells with potato puree, Brussels sprouts, heirloom turnips, mushrooms and bacon. Meanwhile, at Bluecoast Seafood Grill in Bethany Beach, the menu features very lightly fried soft-shells over a salad with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber and grilled corn gently tossed with red wine vinaigrette. For more information, go to sodelconcepts.com.