The Velvet Season: A Recipe for Deviled Crab Stuffed Soft-shell Crab

Deviled crab stuffed soft shell crabs, as prepared by Chef Forrest Parker for the Undiscovered Charleston tour.

Master the "Velvet Season" with Chef Forrest Parker. This guide marries Gullah Geechee "deb’l" stuffing with the Edisto Motel’s "shatter-crunch." Learn the professional secrets to stuffing and sautéing Charleston’s most fleeting seasonal prize.

The Secret of the Velvet Season: C.C. Leslie and the History of the Charleston Soft Shell

A stack of fresh, local blue crabs during the Lowcountry Velvet Season, prepared for a deviled stuffing recipe by Chef Forrest Parker of Undiscovered Charleston.

In the Lowcountry, spring doesn’t arrive on a calendar; it arrives when the blue crab sheds its armor and the docks whisper that soft shell season has begun. Travelers searching for an authentic Charleston food tour or a historic Charleston cooking class often encounter these briny delicacies without realizing they owe their place on the …