In particular, the coastlines of California, Oregon, and Washington, the waters of the Pacific Northwest are home to a kind of crab famous as the Dungeness crab. The town on the coastline of Dungeness, which lies on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, is the reason for the name of these crabs. The Dungeness crab’s sweet, delicate flavor and sensitive meat makes it a delicacy and a valuable food source. There are various Dungeness crab recipes which you can make at home to enjoy this delicious treat.
The Delightful Dungeness Crab Boil is an easy and mouth-watering method of preparing these crabs. It usually entails cooking the crabs in a big pot of flavoured water with spices, veggies, and other seasonings until they are opaque and bursting with flavor.
However, this is not the only way to prepare it, there are multiple other Dungeness crab recipes to follow. In today’s blog post, we are going to share different Dungeness crab recipes with you so that you also get access to the delights of this seafood. So let’s begin.
What is Dungeness Crab?
The outer covering (shell) of a mature Dungeness crab can spread out to a maximum of 10 inches across. The carapace or shell has an approximately triangular form and is covered in spines. Setae are stiff, spiky hairs that cover the entire crab's body and the crab uses it to detect movement and prey. The claws can range in color from reddish-brown to purple, although the crab is often a steely blue-gray color.
How To Buy a Perfect Dungeness Crab For Crab Boil?
Before you visit the supermarket to buy the crabs to prepare the Dungeness crab recipes, it is important for you to know the guidelines for buying fresh crabs. Consider the following tips to buy crabs.
1. Select a trustworthy seafood grocer or market: It's necessary to get Dungeness crab via a reliable store or market. Look for companies that are reputable and offer seafood of the highest calibre. Make careful to inquire about the authenticity of the crab as well as how it is transported and stored.
2. Look for live Dungeness Crab: The freshest and finest quality crab is live Dungeness crab. For example, watch for moving legs and claws as these are indications suggesting the crab is alive. To assure freshness, make sure to ask the seller to show you the crab to examine before making a purchase.
3. Examine the size and weight: Check the crab's weight before buying it since people often sell Dungeness crab by the pound. The crab's size is also important since bigger crabs often have more flesh than smaller ones.
4. Male or Female Crab: When purchasing a Dungeness crab, it is advisable to select a male crab rather than a female crab. Male crabs typically have flesh that is tougher and more abundant. Females are often put on sale alongside roe, which can be palatable but also bitter or gritty in texture.
5. Think about your options for cooking and cleaning the crab: While some seafood stores will prepare and wash the crabs for you, some will let you do it yourself at home. Before making a purchase, decide what suits your needs. However, it is much better that you do it yourself so that your crabs are good in terms of cleanliness.
6. Consider the time of the year: The best time to buy Dungeness crab is from late autumn to early spring because it is seasonal food. To assure the highest quality and pricing, plan beforehand to prepare Dungeness crab recipes and buy your crab during its peak season.
Best Dungeness Crab Recipes
As promised, here we are with the best Dungeness crab recipes for you. They’ll turn out to be so delicious that you will feel that you are having them at a seafood restaurant.
Crab Cakes
Crab meat, bread crumbs, eggs, mayonnaise, and seasonings including mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay flavor are the main ingredients of crab cakes, a popular seafood meal. The procedure is simple. You combine the ingredients, shape them into patties, and either bake or fry them in a pan until golden brown. The crab meat utilized in the meal can come from a variety of crab species, including blue crab, Dungeness crab, and king crab. In seafood restaurants, crab cakes often appear as an appetizer or as a main course.
You can accompany them with a variety of sauces, including tartar sauce, remoulade, or aioli. They are a common dish in coastal locations and have origins in the American Chesapeake Bay region.
Ingredients
- One big egg yolk
- 3 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon of red bell pepper, minced finely
- 3 ½ tablespoons of minced parsley
- ½ tablespoon Tabasco
- Paprika, half a teaspoon
- Half a teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme
- ¼ of a teaspoon of kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper, one-fourth of a teaspoon
- Olive oil, ¼ cup
- ¼ cup sour cream
- one fresh pound of Dungeness crabmeat, lightly squeezed if moist, scraped clean of shell, and drained
- four cups of fresh breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- green cocktail sauce
- 4 slices of lemon
Procedure
- Put the egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, bell pepper, onion, 2 teaspoons of parsley, Tabasco, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small food processor. Now, chop all the ingredients until they are finely minced.
- When the entire mixture emulsifies and becomes a thin mayonnaise, add the oil gradually through the feed tube while the machine is operating.
- With a rubber spatula, incorporate the crabmeat into the mayo after transferring it to a big bowl and mixing in the sour cream. Form 8 evenly sized patties that are 3 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of parsley to the small container with the bread crumbs. Place the patties in the bread crumbs and lightly coat both sides. Refrigerate the crab cakes for at least an hour or more, covered with plastic wrap.
- Over medium heat, add around 2 tablespoons of butter to each of the two big non-stick skillets. Add four crab cakes to each pan after the butter has melted. Using a spatula, turn the crab cakes once during the 4 minutes it takes for each side to get golden brown and heated throughout. The temperature inside should be 155°F.
- Serve 2 crab cakes per guest on plates along with ramekins with green cocktail sauce as well as lemon wedges.
Crab Dip
Fresh Dungeness crab meat, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings are combined to make the creamy, savory dip known as "Dungeness crab dip." Together with the other ingredients, the crab meat roasts until it is hot and sizzling. The dip typically accompanies crackers, and toasted bread, seasoned with aromatic fresh herbs. It has a flavor that is both luxurious and reviving, rich and pleasant. In addition to being a favorite dish at festive parties and other events, Dungeness crab dip is a prevalent appetizer at seafood restaurants.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of cooked and shelled Dungeness Crab meat
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup
- Three teaspoons of lemon juice
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- According to taste, add salt and black pepper
- 2 finely sliced green onions
Procedure
- Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper in a sizable mixing basin.
- Fold in the green onions and Dungeness crabmeat gently.
- Before serving, place the mixture in the refrigerator for not less than two hours.
- If you choose, add more green onions, lemon wedges, or chopped parsley as a garnish.
Creamy White Sauce Crab Enchiladas
Ingredients
- Light sour cream, 16 oz.
- 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
- All-purpose flour, 1/4 cup
- half a teaspoon of salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- smoked paprika, two teaspoons
- A cup of milk
- 8 ounces of chopped, roasted, or drained green chilies
- 1 pound of fresh, finely diced Dungeness crab meat
- 3 green onion stems roughly 1/2 cup, cut
- 12 7-inch corn tortillas
- 1 cup of finely chopped cheddar cheese
- fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Procedure
- Mix the sour cream, yogurt, flour, salt, cumin, and paprika together. After adding the milk and green chilies, split the sauce in half.
- To make the filling, stir chopped crab meat and green onions into one-half of the sauce.
- Share the crab filling equally among the corn tortillas. Roll firmly and place the seam side down in a baking dish.
- Cover the tops of each of the enchiladas with the remaining sauce in an equal layer. Bake with cheese on top.
Spicy Crab Bisque
Crab bisque is brimming with lump crabmeat. The soup has a subtle heat from the addition of cayenne and Tabasco. It is one of the best Dungeness crab recipes.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons
- 1 white onion, cut into small pieces
- 6 celery ribs, cut finely
- Six finely sliced scallions
- Two bay leaves
- All-purpose flour, ¼ cup
- 5 cups of chicken broth low in salt
- Mash two tablespoons of roasted garlic
- 3 glasses of whole milk
- Two tablespoons of dry sherry
- ¼ cup ketchup
- A single teaspoon of tomato paste
- Sweet smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon
- ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch of cloves, ground
- A tiny amount of mace powder
- 1 freshly grated nutmeg pinch
- Heavy cream, 1 cup
- Half a tablespoon of Tabasco
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pounds of Dungeness crab meat
Procedure
- Melt the butter in a sizable soup pot. Add the bay leaves, onion, celery, scallions, and other ingredients, and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the flour and whisk while cooking for 2 minutes. Bring to a boil while whisking in the chicken broth gradually. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the broth becomes thicker and the veggies are very soft.
- Bring to a simmer after adding the milk and roasted garlic. Add the cream, Tabasco, paprika, cayenne, cloves, mace, nutmeg, ketchup, tomato paste, and sherry, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer again. Add the crab and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until warm. Throw out the bay leaves. Serve oyster crackers alongside the bisque.
Dungeness Crab Boil
Ingredients
- Fresh Dungeness crab, 4-6 pounds
- One white wine bottle
- Four quarts of water
- 1 cup of seafood seasoning, preferably Old Bay
- 2 lemons, cut in half
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 4 bay leaves
- Peppercorns, 2 tablespoons
- 4 husked and divided maize ears
- 2 pounds of fresh potatoes, halved and scrubbed
- 1 pound of sliced, smoked sausage
- 1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp
Procedure
- Pour the water, white wine, seafood seasoning, lemons, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns into a big pot. Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and corn to the mixture after it comes to a boil. Give them 10 minutes or so to cook.
- After 10 minutes, stir in the sausage slices and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Then, add the Dungeness crab and the lid to the pot. Cook the crab for approximately 15 minutes, or until the shells are a brilliant orange colour.
- Remove the cooked crab from the pot and place it aside.
- Add the shrimp to the pot and simmer for a few minutes, or until they appear pink.
- Put the shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes on a serving tray after removing them from the pot using a slotted spoon.
- You may also use Cajun seasoning to make it a Cajun-style crab dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Side dishes like roasted vegetables, salads, and corn accompany Dungeness crab very well.
Conclusion
The procedure of cooking Dungeness crab recipes is quick and easy. You may prepare a delectable feast as long as you have live crabs and a big saucepan. Or you may visit a seafood place that serves the best seafood boil and Dungeness crab recipes and values its customer preferences too.
