Gluten Freebird

I go caveman when it comes to soft shells. Give them to me. Now. No pleases or thank yous.

I used to eat tempura-battered crabs as often as possible, but this diagnosis has made me rediscover pure soft shells. So many soft shells are drenched in flour batters, losing all integrity of flavor and texture. The gluten-free versions are so much better. Here’s where to find them in Washington, D.C.

Equinox has a superb sautéed soft shell on the menu right now. The dish is served with wilted spring greens, sweet pepper sauce and a roasted garlic cream. Since the crab (which arrives whole) is sauteed, its delicate flavor is unmarred by breading. The restaurant crisps the crabs up with a light dusting of flour, so remember to request it without any flour.

Mio serves up a naturally gluten-free soft shell dish. A salted, pan-seared crab arrives in two pieces with a confit of red peppers and a whipped flat parsley sauce. The accompaniments offset the crab’s salt and showcase its crispness nicely. It’s not a huge crab, but it’s a tasty one and will leave you with room for the seductive butterscotch pot de “cream.” It also looks appealing - bright red peppers, sharp green sauce and the crab halves perched upright impressed me.

Tosca’s soft shells are also naturally gluten-free with a buckwheat polenta batter. Buckwheat, which isn’t a grain at all, is celiac-happy, so the dish is ideal for anybody who yearns for fried soft shells.

Rock Creek Mazza serves sautéed soft shells that can be ordered without the dusting of flour.

Anyone visiting L.A. can luck out with crispy, delicious soft shell at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois on Main Street. The fusion restaurant’s version is tempura-fried using potato starch, so it’s perfectly crispy, decadent, and gluten-free. It arrives in several segments served over crisped spinach leaves that are equally addictive.

The other winning gluten-free dish at Chinois is the wok-charred wild salmon with crisped asparagus. The roasted Cantonese duck with plum sauce is gluten-free if you order it without its steamed bao, but I found the dish dry and overly sweet.