Dungeness Crab101


Dungeness crabs are named after the town of the same name on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where they were first harvested for commercial sale in the 1800s. Today they’re caught in traps along a huge stretch of Pacific coast, from Alaska to central California, and are in season in winter, spring, and through most of the summer. If you’ve never cooked live crabs, the prospect can seem a little intimidating. But our paper-bag method for getting the critters in the water helps things go smoothly. Freshly cooked Dungeness crab is utterly delicious—one of the great culinary rewards of living in the West.


How to Cook 1. Keep live crabs chilled up to 12


hours in an open bowl or box, covered with damp paper towels. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover crabs by 2 to 3 in., leaving 3 to 4 in. of clearance below pot rim; bring to a boil. 2. Cut the handles off a sturdy paper bag. If the crabs are wrapped in newspaper or another material, gently unwrap them into the bag, putting in no more than two at a time. If the crabs are loose in a box, use tongs (see right) to lift each one up from the rear between the legs and put in the bag. 3. Holding the bag near the bottom, gently upend it (see far


How to Clean and Crack 1. Put a cooked crab, belly up, on a work surface. Pull off and discard the triangular flap (see right) and pointy appendages underneath it, plus the small paddles from the front of the crab. 2. Pry off the broad back shell from the rear end (see far right). Discard the liquid in the shell. Scoop out and save the soft, golden “butter” and white fat from the shell to eat with the crab, or discard with the back shell. 3. Turn the crab over. Pull off and discard any reddish membrane. Scoop


right) and let the crabs fall out into the water (avoid using tongs, which don’t always give a steady grip if your crab starts to move); cover the pot. Cook, lowering the heat to a simmer once the water boils: 15 minutes for 11


⁄2 - to 21 ⁄2 -lb. crabs, 20 minutes for bigger


ones. 4. Lift out the crabs with tongs and rinse with cold running water until cool enough to handle.


10 fish & shellfish


fish & shellfish


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