There was a time, long, long ago, when the crabbers in the Big Bend of Florida, thought soft-shell crabs were "sick" and if you could convince them not to throw them out, you'd get 'em for free. Unfortunately, they've become wiser today... (another thing I blame on the damn yankees).

On Sat, 19 Feb 2000 Grace Cangialosi writes:
"Is this the *whole* crab--insides and all?" "Yup," was the cheerful reply. I managed to eat it by not looking at it again, but I kept thinking of all the things I usually discarded when eating hard-shell crabs and realizing that I was now eating them. That was my first and last taste of soft-shell crab! However, maybe as BBQ!"

First things first:
You shouldn't be eating "all" the stuff you normally discarded.
To clean soft shell crabs: Printer version of this

Remove the "dead man" (the gills) from under the shell - you do this by slicing open the shell from the back, since it won't crack open like a hard 'un.
Remove the eyes, mouth parts and the "sandbagv" found immediately under the mouth area. Wash crabs in cold water and blot dry

BBQed Crabs Redux
Printer version of this recipe

Roll crabs in equal parts (by weight) mixture of:
salt (about 1/3 cup),
black pepper (1 cup) and
fresh chili powder (1 cup).
(this is for a dozen or so crabs, adjust accordingly depending on how many you have or can afford to buy)

Fry in deep-fat (375 or so) until they float to the surface (5-7 minutes)

Sauce: Melted butter (margarine), lemon, teaspoon vinegar, tsp (at least) tabasco, and a couple drops of liquid smoke (strange stuff, that).

Pour over the crabs and serve hot.

And yes, Grace, you eat the whole thing....