Pick the fastest Dungeness crabs you can find.ĭungeness crab is available frozen. The faster the Dungeness crab, the fresher and healthier they are. Fresh Dungeness crab won't move as quickly as live lobster or blue crabs, but it will move. When buying Dungeness crab fresh, you want to check the crab for movement. Dungeness Crab is freshest during crab season, which starts at the end of November and early December. I was in Seattle in early January which was a perfect time to try Dungeness crab. Dungeness crab is for sale at most seafood markets in the North West. If you live on the west coast, you can find Dungeness crab live. The Dungeness Spit in Northwest Washington state is one of the largest natural habitats for the Dungeness crab.
On the east coast, it's hard to find Dungeness crab for sale near me. While staying Seattle, I ate as much Dungeness Crab as I could fit in my belly, and I learned more about this west coast seafood delicacy.ĭungeness crab gets its name from an area in Northwest Washington state. I was shocked I had never tried Dungeness crab before. Commercial fishing for Dungeness crab has been around since the late 19th Century. Dungeness crab is caught off of the coast of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State.Įarly Native Americans fished for Dungeness crab off the west coast, going as far back as the 1600s. Seattle introduced me to a whole new variety of crab, Dungeness Crab! ĭungeness crab is a species of crab that comes from the cold waters off of the west coast of the United States. Crab cakes are one of my favorites, and I was very familiar with Maryland Style Crab cakes. Dungeness crab cakes were ALL over Seattle! I thought crab cakes were Maryland's thing! What I didn't realize is that the Pacific Ocean is home to a very particular and very delicious type of crab. What surprised me about Seattle was the fame of crab cakes. I wanted to see them throwing whole fish around, like you see on television. When arrived in Seattle, our first stop was the Pikes Place Fish Market. We've said yes to the U.S Virgin Island and Seattle because of wanting to eat fresh seafood for days. I am not kidding when I tell you that when given a chance to travel, the availability of seafood is one of the primary points we consider when discussing whether to go or not. Last year, we had the opportunity to travel to Seattle for a wedding. I've even ventured into the online seafood market for higher-quality than I can find near me. I've had to become quite the label reader when it comes to buying quality frozen seafood. The mid-west is landlocked, and high-quality seafood is hard to come by. įive years ago, we moved to the mid-west. Not much beats a crab cake in flavor and texture. The mid-Atlantic is famous for its blue crab and crab cakes made from blue crab meat. For the first twelve years of our relationship, my husband and I made it a yearly tradition to go crabbing for blue crab every September. Dungeness crabs have the largest crabmeat-to-shell ratio, but expect, at best, only about 1/2 pound of crabmeat from a 2- to 3-pound crab.Growing up on the East coast, I've traveled and eaten seafood all across the mid-Atlantic states. Though a Dungeness crab is shown here, blue crabs can be picked the same way. Let them cool, but don’t cover them with cold water because that will wash away their flavor. When the crabs are cooked, put them in the sink and quickly rinse with cold water.
Add the crabs, cover with a lid, and boil until the shells are bright red and the crabs are cooked through, 12 to 20 minutes for Dungeness crabs, 5 to 10 minutes for blues (blues may also be steamed). Fill the pot with a couple of gallons of water, add some sliced lemons, crushed bay leaves, and a few tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil.
#DUNGENESS CRAB VS BLUE CRAB HOW TO#
How to cook: To cook live crabs, get out your biggest pot-Tom uses a gigantic 33-quart black enameled canning pot.
#DUNGENESS CRAB VS BLUE CRAB FULL#
If you live in a part of the country where live crabs are available, choose ones that feel full and heavy.
Larger West Coast Dungeness crabs are sold individually-some get as big as 4 pounds, though Tom prefers the 3-pounders. How to buy: Live East Coast blue crabs are small and sold by the dozen or the bushel. So if you want to give it a try, here are chef Tom Douglas’s tips for buying, cooking, and picking live crabs, either for crab cakes or for a pick-and-eat crab feast. But picking and eating crabs can be a lot of fun if you have melted butter and few a friends to join you. To make crab cakes, you don’t need to cook and pick the crabmeat yourself fresh or pasteurized picked meat is fine.
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