Scrumptious Seafood: How to prepare fresh dungeness crab
OnĀ Canada Day, after the Cannery closed, I had a bit of time to kill before my pick-up arrived, so I went down to one of my absolute favourite places in Steveston, the sales float at Ā Fisherman’s wharf. For the first time this year there were two fishing boatsĀ selling dungenessĀ crab. The going rate was $10 each, which is excellent,Ā considering some of theĀ inflated market prices. I was really tempted to buy some, but sadly, my $5 was insufficient.Ā After asking one of the fisherman when they would be back, I decided to return with the right amountĀ for the next weekendĀ (the crabĀ fishermen will be at the sales floatsĀ on Saturday and Sunday). For today’s post, I thought it would be appropriate toĀ blog aboutĀ how to cook and prepare fresh dungenessĀ crab.
- Get a fresh dungenessĀ crab – StevestonĀ Fisherman’s wharf or catch your own with a fishing licence.
- Cook the crab – you can steam or cook the crab in boiling water. Be sure to calculate 7 to 8 minutes per pound. If you have more than one crab, calculate the average pound. Once the crab is cooked, rinse it off and cool enough to handle it.
- Remove the apron – insert your thumb at the base of the apron and snap off.
- Remove the carapace – remove the carapace from the main body.
- Remove the gills – the gills are spongy and inedible, remove them from either side of the body.
- Remove the mandibles.
- Optional according to tasteĀ – rinse off the interior cavity including the greenish-brown soft interior. Some enjoy eatingĀ this part, also known as “the mustard.”Ā
- Break in half.
- Serve.
This guide to preparing crab is adapted from the Ā instructables website.
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