Soft Shell Crabs

‘Tis peak season for crabs with edible soft shells. Here are a few places where we’ve found them:

* Typhoon: This restaurant in the Santa Monica Airport fries a fresh soft shell crab crisp and serves it with an invigorating Filipino-style sauce of vinegar, minced garlic and pepper. (Soft shell crab, $10.95.) Typhoon, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South, 2nd Floor, Santa Monica, (310) 390-6565.

* Water Grill: Here jumbo soft shells are fried in a light batter of milk and Wondra flour and served with wilted spinach, a tomato compote and a caper emulsion. (Soft shell crab appetizer, $18.) Water Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 891-0900.

* Woodside: This Brentwood New American place has a special of crabs lightly dusted with flour, sauteed and served with either caper sauce or kumquat marmalade. (Soft shell crab appetizer, $8.50.) Woodside, 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 571-3800.

* Clearwater Seafood: On special, this Pasadena restaurant sautees soft shells with a lemon-caper sauce and serves them with rice and vegetables. (Soft shell crab entree, $13.95.) Clearwater Seafood, 168 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 356-0959.

* Spago: Chef Lee Hefter fries Chesapeake Bay soft shells tempura-style and serves them as an appetizer with black bean sauce and ginger vinaigrette, as an entree on a bed of smoky curried eggplant with a tomato curry sauce. (Soft shell crab appetizer, $16; entree, $26.) Spago Beverly Hills, 176 N. Canon Drive, (310) 385-0880.

* Cafe del Rey: Sit by the marina and munch on soft shells encrusted with macadamia nuts and served with a green wasabi pineapple sauce and artichoke mashed potatoes. (Soft shell crab appetizer, $13.) Cafe del Rey, 4451 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, (310) 823-6395.

* The Belvedere: Chef Bill Bracken cooks seasonally; recently the generous-sized tempura-style soft shells have come with a citrus-hoisin sauce and a frisee salad. (Soft shell crab entree, $28; appetizer portion, $14.) The Belvedere, Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel, 9882 Santa Monica Blvd., (310) 788-2306.

* Ubon: At Nobu Matsuhisa’s noodle shop on the ground floor of the Beverly Center, you can have a soft shell crab spring roll, wrapped in rice paper with shiitake mushrooms and leeks. (Soft shell crab roll, $14.) Ubon, 8530 Beverly Blvd., #151, Los Angeles, (310) 854-1115.