Dungeness Crab

The Dungeness crab (*Metacarcinus magister*) — named for the town of Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state — is the Pacific Northwest's most prized shellfish and the region's answer to Maine lobster and Chesapeake blue crab. The crab is harvested from the cold waters of the Pacific from Alaska to Central California, with the season opening in December and running through spring. The Dungeness crab feed — whole crabs boiled or steamed and cracked at the table — is the Pacific Northwest's communal shellfish event, equivalent to the Maine lobster bake, the Chesapeake crab feast, and the Louisiana crawfish boil.

A large crab (typically 700g-1.2kg) with a wide, rounded shell, sweet, delicate, white meat, and a flavour that is milder, sweeter, and more nuanced than blue crab or king crab. The meat from the body, the claws, and the legs is distinct in texture and flavour: leg meat is the most delicate, claw meat is the firmest, and body meat is the most abundant. The crab is cooked whole — boiled or steamed in salted water — and served with drawn butter, lemon, and crusty bread.

Whole cracked crab: drawn butter, lemon, sourdough bread (San Francisco), or crusty bread. Cioppino: crusty bread for the broth. Crab Louie: as a main-course salad. Dry white wine — Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or a dry Riesling. The sweetness and delicacy of Dungeness want clean, bright, acidic accompaniments.