How to Cook Live Dungeness Crabs
The Dungeness crab is a marine crustacean found along the Pacific coastline from Washington to California. Dungeness crabs are primarily harvested from December to February and are a local favorite. Use Dungeness crab in any recipe calling for crab, or steam and enjoy them plain. Popular recipes include salt and pepper crab, crab cakes and crab salad. Dungeness has a relatively mild flavor, so sample the raw crabmeat before seasoning. After you purchase fresh crab, refrigerate it until use, and use it within two to three days for optimum flavor. Leave a lot of time if you are unused to extracting meat from a crab shell; the average time needed will vary based on the individual. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Bring a pot of water to boil, and add 1/4 cup salt. Drop fresh live Dungeness crabs into the water, and top off the water if crabs are not covered. Cook 2-lb. crabs for approximately 15 minutes (10 minutes for smaller crabs) or until their shells turn bright orange.
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Remove the crabs from the water. If you are serving cold crabs, plunge them into a tub of ice water before cleaning them. Otherwise, clean them while they are hot, and wear rubber gloves.
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Hold the front of a crab, and pull the back shell away from its body. It should come off easily.
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Flip the crab over, and remove the triangular front piece the same way.
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Remove the intestine, which runs straight down the crab's back. Use a spoon to remove the gills from both sides of the crab.
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Twist the legs to break them, and crack them with a mallet to access the meat. Strip the crab's body and legs of meat, and serve as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
Serve with melted butter. Live crabs may be frozen for 30 minutes before cooking to deaden their senses.
If you are not sure when the crabs were caught or have questions about their health hazards, do not eat them. Always support local fishermen.
