Dungeness Crab - Northern California coast
 

I'll be out in San Francisco and Napa/Sonoma in about six weeks, and I understand that dungeness crabs are in season through June or so.

My wife and I really want to enjoy some of these, and I'd love to hear from anyone about your preferred way to eat them (e.g. picking them yourself, or in some sort of recipe), and good spots around San Francisco, or to the north along the cost, to find them.

I have picked cracked crabs at Fisherman's Wharf and really enjoyed that, and have had them in crab cakes - also very good. But I've also heard of them being roasted or baked, or being cooked Thai style with some sort of a spicy sauce.

I prefer dungenous crab plain...cooked and then eaten. They are so good on their own, there is no reason to mess with other ingredients.

I agree...plain or with melted butter. Crabs are in short supply this year, however... so be prepared to either pay a lot more than usual to eat them, or not find them on the menu. You will find them at Fishermans Wharf..but IMO I'd avoid those restaurants that I think over cook the crab, and find a less touristy restaurant. If you go to Healdsburg, about 1.5 hrs North of SF you could eat at Willi's Seafood restaurant... its delicious with small plates to share. You'd find great crab there. Plus there are a lot of other things to do in the area.

Don't mess with the delicate sweet meat of the crab. No cocktail sauce, no crab cakes, no Thai seasonings, etc. Just some melted butter with a little lemon - that's about the extent of it.

"Borrow" a fork from your hotel in San Francisco. Go to the Wharf and get a whole crab & have them clean & crack it for you. Make sure that they also slice through the body with a knife (that's my favorite part of the crab). Have them put it into a plastic bag. Bike to Crissy Field and devour the crab yourself on one of the picnic tables there & enjoy the great views.

You can also get crab at Whole Foods on Franklin & Calif streets. Go to Lafayette Park & eat the crab there.

Stu Dudley

I live up in Sonoma County & at a couple local stores that get the Crabs fresh from Bodega Bay & sell them for about half of what they sell them for down on Fishermans Wharf. I like to go to one of these stores & get a couple Crabs after they clean & crack them for me for free. I then go to a park down the street with my nut cracker & little fork & have a ball. Who needs Butter? I also take them home & make our own Crab Louie or then get the Butter out & throw the diet completly out the door.I love SF & it's Fisherman's Wharf but not if I have to pay that much more for my Crab. One local store has it's fresh Crabs at $3.99 a lb. right now & it will be still a lot less up here than down there, then. So, come & enjoy the Crab & you can stay in SF if you want but....

I think just about everyone living in the Bay Area can get crab for less $$$ than at the Wharf. I go to Half Moon Bay to buy crab. However, a visitor may not have the opportunity to venture beyong the Wharf to look for crab. I would never purchase a walk-away crab cocktail at the Wharf. Last time I did that was probably 1964.

Ronray - we'll be visiting friends in the town of Sonoma on Friday, returning Sat. Where do you buy crab for $3.99 per lb. I'll bring up a cooler & purchase two.

Stu Dudley

Go where the locals go...Swan Oyster Depot.

yikes, I would never make Dungeness Crab spicy thai styled! Plain steamed. On a plate or possibly in a salad. It's too delicate and way too expensive to "do" other things with.

Well, it sounds like the consensus is for pure and simple eating, and I'm for that.

TTess, Swan Oyster Depot sounds great. We had Hog Island oysters when were were in San Francisco last year, and I thought they were excellent. I live in Maryland, and people here tend to say that the west coast oysters are too bland, but I did not find that at all with Hog Island's - delicious!

kleroux, I think a trip to Willi's Seafood restaurant may be in order too. Is that related to Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa? We also went there last year and really enjoyed the food.

StuDudley, great ideas - how is the weather in March for eating outside?

Ronrey, we are thinking of staying a night or two in Bodega Bay - any place you'd suggest? We ate before at a little crab shack on the western side of the bay - no indoor seating. Too bad they were out of season then, all they had were crab salad sandwiches & oyster chowder, both of which were pretty good!

Weather is quite un-predictable. We are at the end of a heatwave that lasted about 10 days. It hit the 80s in a few spots - 12 degrees above the previous record high temp.

No telling what March will be like. Bring a jacket.

I thought it was illegal for people from Maryland to eat Dungeness crab !!!

Stu Dudley

"I thought it was illegal for people from Maryland to eat Dungeness crab !!!"

Ha ha! We do it on the down low.

There are a couple of very expensive Vietnamese crab places in San Francisco: Crustacean and Thanh Long. both restaurants are very highly rated.

http://www.anfamily.com/portalpage.html

Their prices are way high for me, at $35+ for one crab! The "secret" recipe is delicious, but...

We do our own crab and prefer to buy them live at a nearby 99 Ranch Market. We just had our first crab fest this year with 15 dungeness crabs at $3.99 a lb for live crabs. At least half the crabs were as big as the ones at Thanh Long - over 2 lbs apiece.

If doing just crab, we do not boil the crabs, but steam them. then we have two sauces, one butter and one Asian, that we use for dipping.

Otherwise, I do cook them other ways, but this takes a lot more effort, as it involves breaking the crab apart while it is still live - not a task for the squeamish! Also the claws, once detached, still snap, so care has to be taken in handling the live crab. The trickiest part is washing them and getting them squeaky clean while all those claws and sharp hooks at the end of their legs are waving around wildly!

I have about 7 or 8 ways to cook the crab once it's been broken up. Ah, but these are my own secret recipes and at least a couple of them are better than the secret recipe at Thanh Long, IMHO.

If I were you, I'd check myself into one of those suite hotels with a kitchen, then go and buy myself some live crabs and a set of nutcrackers (with pick), boil the crabs at the hotel, and set to.

Oh, and some good wine - we prefer Reisling with crab!

Enjoy! :)

Stu, where do you get your crab in Half Moon Bay -- at the stand right where you turn left onto Main Street?

Yep - but they have ripped me off a few times - so be careful. Always stand in front of the scale and verify the weight. Call ahead and ask for the price of large cooked crabs.

Easytraveler - where is that 99 market?

Stu Dudley

Stu:

Here's a list of the 99 Ranch branches:

http://www.99ranch.com/StoreLocator.asp?Store=All

You can find the one closest to where you live.

I believe they all carry live seafood, but don't know for sure. Always ask for the large crabs "big, BIG" and have them hold up the crab to show you to make sure that it's the size you want, but also that it's ALIVE.

The meat of a live crab tastes so different from the meat of a crab whose date of passing is unknown.

In the seafood section, there should also be a frying section. You can select a fish (usually a dead one), have them clean it and fry it for you. saves a lot of work and oil splatter by having them do it for you.

If you buy a live fish, they will also clean and gut it for you.

Stu:

www.99ranch.com

Note weekend crab prices are higher than weekdays.

Thanks Shangi & Easy.

Have either of you been to Marina market on Hillsdale Blvd??? How does 99 compare for Fish & other Asian items? I love the roast duck at Marina.

Stu Dudley

No, not to that particular Marina.

I've been to a Marina market in Cupertino but found their prices much higher than 99 Ranch for the same items. Haven't been back many years now. Don't know if they are the same chain.

Oh, another tip on buying live crab from 99 Ranch: they put the crab into a transparent plastic bag, make sure they punch a hole in the bottom of the bag to let out the water, otherwise, you are paying $3.99 for dirty water!

If you can get the crabs home fast, then it's ok to leave them as bagged, otherwise, to keep them alive, you have to open up the top of the bag to give the crabs some oxygen. If kept in the plastic bag for too long, they'll die - which makes it meaningless to get them live at the market.

"The meat of a live crab tastes so different from the meat of a crab whose date of passing is unknown."

You mean it's ok to cook them after they're dead? (Not so with blue crabs around here.) Or, is the "date of passing" the date that they're steamed & then they sit around a while?

>>"date of passing" the date that they're steamed & then they sit around a while?<<

yep

I've never purchased live crabs and 'cooked" them myself. I always buy the cooked crabs cleaned at the market, but never broken up or cracked. I do that at home. Lots of "juices" are lost if they are cracked much before they are eaten.

My wife does not like live things in the refrig - lobster or crab.

FWIW, I've had crab in France, and several times in Maryland. I prefer the Dungeness. I've only had Maryland crab with Old Bay - which kinda smothered the taste, IMO.

Stu Dudley

Stu, is the Marina market the one at the corner of Hillsdale and Norfolk? I don't know about their seafood, but I've heard their pot stickers are out of this world, and sell out early in the day.

Stu: we don't keep live lobster or crab in the frig. We keep them in the bathtub. :D

but usually we bring them home and start cooking immediately.

You're so correct! Dungeness is the best tasting crab - ever!

"FWIW, I've had crab in France, and several times in Maryland. I prefer the Dungeness. I've only had Maryland crab with Old Bay - which kinda smothered the taste, IMO."

"You're so correct! Dungeness is the best tasting crab - ever!"

Well I must tell you I'm really looking forward to it.

As to crab superiority, I'm keeping an open mind. It's true, though that the seasoning on blue crabs is strong, and usually very spicy. No one around here would ever think of steaming crabs without lots of seasoning, usually made of Old Bay, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper. Eating crabs in Maryland is more a social event than a culinary one. It's rare for someone to eat crabs alone - usually it's done in very loud groups, and it's washed down with lots of cold beer. Oh, I'm looking forward to summer...

>>Stu, is the Marina market the one at the corner of Hillsdale and Norfolk?<<

yep

Stu Dudley

I live in Sonoma County and would love to know where they are selling crab for $3.99/lb.

That said, the best price we have found in county is at G&G Market
one here in Petaluma, the other in Santa Rosa - $4.99/lb live or
cooked.

Love 'em simple with a fresh sourdough bread and a green salad.

Hmmmm, what's for dinner ?? LOL !

R5

You folks just don't realise how hard it is for those of us not exposed to these markets to read this and not to drool!

Or maybe you do!

Sigh!

I agree with others: Dungeness crab is best without any seasonings, just a great hunk of SF sourdough bread!

Well, just today Costco in Rohnert Park had Fresh Cooked Dungeness Crab for $3.99 a lb. & the other day G&G Supermarkets(a local store) in Petaluma & Santa Rosa had it for that price. As far as over at Bodega Bay there is a place on the back side of the Bay that you can get your Crab at a little shack of a place (not as cheap) to eat at a table out side or take over to Bodega Head for the view. I love the Fisherman's Wharf in the City but again I have to be there first & then the mood has to make me spend the extra money. I make a Crab Cioppino a few times a Crab season using the old Alioto Family recipe & fresh Crabs, Mussels, Clams, shrimp and fresh fish that me talking about makes me want to make it tomorrow. The secret is the Crab Butter for the Sauce. The Recipe I use is suppose to be the one that started the Cioppino thing in the City, at least that's the story I heard. Anyway, love that Crab.

Every once in awhile G&G has it for $3.99, I bought some there just the other day ; maybe a week ago for that price there, but like I said Costco had it for that price today & they were fresh in today from the city. I know you have to check for the prices in the paper (Press Democrat) on Wed. for the prices for the supermarkets in the county but even Safeway had it for under $4.99 just the other day. Also Pacific Markets sometimes tries to beat G&G's prices(or OLivers) so they put it on sale. Also Raleys has it on sale quite often. Since I'm disabled & retired I do travel & cooking things for my family & friends & part of that is to tell them where things are on special. There is also the Crab Pot up in Bodega Bay for fresh cooked crab. My Wife & I eat at a few different places up at Bodega Bay: The Tides at the Wharf, The Sandpiper( for Breakfast as well as lunch) The Duck Club( for Dinner) and then maybe go over Coleman Valley Road into Occidental to the Union Hotel for an Itailian Dinner. On our way to the coast we stop at a Bakery that bakes great breads & scones in Frestone, they are open Friday-Monday. They are closed right now for a vacation but I think they reopen on the 23rd.They use a brick oven & it is really an European Artisian style Bakery. Get there early for the Scones or they may be gone. We love the Chowder at Bodega Bay also is one reason we go over there. Right now all the different clubs are having their Crab Feeds, I think most are probably over with but some may still be going on this weekend.Check KZST.com, a local radio station that has a Crab Feed thing on it's site.

Well the ads show that the lowest price I can find for Crab is $4.99 a lb this week. That is for the stores that have an ad in the Press. But as I said Costco still may have it for $3.99, who knows. When you go to the Tides Fish Market at Bodega Bay you get it for about $8.99 a lb or so. It's all about location, location, location. At G&G you can buy them live from a tank or cooked & cleaned, it's up to you. So $4.99 is still a good price to me but not $3.99 I know & I'm going to get a few today & make a Cioppino today for Dinner. Good Travels & Good Dining.

ronrey - thanks so much for all the info. The crab feeds sound great - If I can find any of them during the time that I'm there it sounds like a really good time.

RonRey: What a treasure trove of information your posts have been! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

"You folks just don't realise how hard it is for those of us not exposed to these markets to read this and not to drool!"

kiwirob - don't you hale from New Zealand? You must have crabs to dine on there!

I purchased 2 pre-cooked Dungeness crabs for dinner tonight !!! I do this for Wendesday dinner, because trash pick-up is Thursday. We'll have them with Sorrel soup as a starter.

First went to Costco because we needed lots of other stuff. Crab was $3.99/lb. Shrink-wrapped, two to a package, with a "purchase by" date of something like 1/26 - several days from now. Don't know how long they had already been in the refrig.

Went to 99 Ranch. Crab was $4.50/lb. I did not see any already cooked & sitting in the store displays. There were four huge tanks, where they kept lots of live crabs in water. I was worrried. My wife would probably not eat any crab if she saw them wiggling in the refrig or especially in the bathtub. I was figuring out how to hide the crabs from her, get a cooking timetable from easy or Shaing, and cook them myself - when she is out of the house. I asked the fish guy at 99 Ranch if he could cook them & he said "sure" - come back in 15 mins. That's what I did.

So it's Costco @ $3.99 with undetermined age vs. 99 Ranch @ $4.50 & cooked 15 mins before I received the crab. Now I have to figure out how to get the cooked crab smell out of my car.

Stu Dudley

Stu: LOL!

You are soooo funny! :)

Let's see now, use a lemon scented oil to wipe down the leather seats in your car?

(Next time, use a cooler to carry crab - LOL!)

BTW, that was quite ingenious, asking the guy at 99 Ranch to cook it for you. Never knew they could do that. Did they boil or steam?

They steamed it in a large oven.

Stu Dudley

Stu-
Try Oust Surface & Air spray in the can with the blue or green top.
Has worked miracles in our house and in the car. A sweep of the front and back seats-leave the windows cracked and your good to go.

smetz-
Now, about RonRey's great ramblings...
Costco doesn't count in my book as you have to be a member. So I would think it not a swell idea for out-of-towners-they'd never recoup the cost of a single purchase.
Better to go to G&G, which as I said was $4.99/lb. Whole Foods here has it for $6.99 and they do a superb job of cracking if you'd rather not.

The shacks out at Bodega Bay
could be the Island Deli at Lucas Wharf or perhaps Spud Point.
Lucas has it today for $7.99/lb.
If you are going to dine in Bodega Bay, the best place is the Seaweed
Cafe, IMHO, the BEST !
www.seaweedcafe.com

In between your crab lunch in Bodega and a trip over Coleman Valley road into Occidental, you might want to plan a good long walk
on one of the Salmon Creek State Beaches. The trip over to Occidental takes barely 30 mins.
Be sure to stop at the top and look back to the ocean, the view is spectacular and has been used in a few car commercials.
At the Union Hotel you can choose from a multi-course family style Italian dinner or keep it simple with one of their fabulous pizzas.

If you're not in the mood for Italian, check out the delicious and cozy Bistro des Copains
www.bistrodescopains.com
nearby on the Bohemian Highway.

Happy Dining & Happy Travels !

R5

Our main crustacean down here is the crayfish -- fairly similar to North American lobster but without the strong forearms and pincers, smetz. This is now regarded as somewhat of a luxury item.

What crabs there are tend to be rather small and nothing like the Dungeness and other big beauties that we encountered in Seattle and Alaska two years ago.

razzledazzle - those are great tips, I really appreciate it. Last fall we took a hike around the headlands at the end of the peninsula that wraps around bodega bay. The trail goes right along the edge, and we really enjoyed the scenery.

I envy you Californians - it's such a beautiful state, with such a wide variety of geography & climate. I'm just glad it's in the US, because my wife and I love vacationing there, and we can often do it very inexpensively!

Stu: so how did your crab fest go last night?

Curious minds want to know.

smetz: you can't go wrong with razzledazzle's tips on the North Bay area. She offers some of the best! ((y))

And come often! Especially if you can do it inexpensively!