oyster crab

n.
A small crab (Pinnotheres ostreum) that lives commensally inside the shell of a bivalve mollusk such as an oyster or a clam.

American; small young crabs found inside oysters, cooked and eaten whole, including the soft shell.

A diminutive (less than 1 inch wide) soft-shell crab that makes its home inside an oyster and lives off the food its host eats. Oyster crabs are certainly not found in all oysters, and most oyster processing plants don't bother to collect them during shucking so the supply is very limited. They're best prepared simply sautéed in butter. Gourmets consider these pale-pink crustaceans a delicacy. See also crab.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: tiny soft-bodied crab living within the mantle cavity of oysters
  Synonym: Pinnotheres ostreum

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