I never met a crab I didn't like - not the human kind, I mean those crawly critters making a living on the sea floor, especially our West Coast Dungeness. And I like them best fresh. What can be better than inviting over a bunch of good friends and your favorite crustacean for a messy, crab-cracking good time?
Rumor, myth, lore, whatever you want to call it, has it that the Dungeness crab is named after a small fishing village on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington state. Apropos, since they have been harvested commercially along the Pacific coast since the late 1800s. It is one of the largest and commercially important of the crab species along our coast. These hard-shelled critters sidestep all the way from central California to the Gulf of Alaska, and along the way have played a long and important role in the Northwest fishery - and my menu.
But if you want this crustacean partaking to be at its best, here are some tips from those crabby folks in the know at the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission that will help insure a crabilcious time.
The best crab come crawling around from Dec. 1 through the spring months, when the crabs are sporting their best in hardshell attire. Winter usually means the least expensive crabs, as that's when the season is in full swing and your local crab emporiums are fully stocked. But the season lasts into August, and some crabbers work into the summer so fresh crab is available much of the year. And at my table, fresh crab is king.
Since we are awash in crab boats in this part of the Northwest, you can also make a real adventure out of it and buy it right off the marina. A number of local crabbers sell crab directly, and besides, it's a hoot just to meander the docks and think about that succulent feast yet to come.
If you bought a live crab, you might ask, now what? If you're squeamish, best jump to the next paragraph because next you have to cook and clean it. Don't wimp out on me, now. Place the live crab in boiling, salted water. Once the water returns to a boil, cook for 18 to 20 minutes, turning that aforementioned hard shell to a bright orange. Then, immerse in cold water to cool before cleaning and refrigerate until ready to eat. Unfortunately, it doesn't get better from here. Now comes the cleaning. To remove the back, hold the base of the crab with one hand, place the thumb under the shell at midpoint and pull off the shell. Then gently scrape away the now exposed leaflike gills. Next, there is a small "V" section on the lower crab shell in the back that can removed with your thumb as well. Remove the loose brown material from the center of the crab and wash away the viscera ("crab butter" for the more delectate among us) under a heavy stream of water. For the right-brained, there's a how-to video on the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission's Web site, www.oregondungeness.org, under "consumer information."
Or, you can bag the whole cooking and cleaning thing; I do, and buy it already prepared. Your local store will clean it for you at no additional charge. I'm not squeamish, mind you, so much as lazy.
Now the fun part - the eating. If you've never been one-on-one with a crab, then let me give you some cracking good tips. Where the legs join the body, twist off each leg, including those big ones with the menacing claws. Break the claw in two and crack it with a nutcracker or place it on a cutting board and give it a good whack with a mallet or small hammer - particularly therapeutic for those with anger issues. Some folks think this is the crème de la crabmeat, but I like it all.
Next, crack the remaining legs at the joints and pick out the meat. On the smaller legs, some dispense with the pick and suck the meat out. Hey, I'm open to whatever floats your crab boat.
Finally, tackle the main body section by whacking (go anger-challenged!) to loosen the meat and pick it out.
To add a touch of class to this somewhat less than dignified feast, sweet crabmeat can be enhanced by the right wine. Pinot Gris, a creamy Chardonnay or lightly fruited Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc or Chenin Blanc or even a dry Riesling makes a good match.
If you find you've had enough crab meat at one sitting - and please forgive me for bursting into laughter at the thought of that - and want to save the rest, cover the meat and refrigerate. If longer than three days, pack it in a moisture- and vapor-proof container, such as glass, for safekeeping. Crumple up some plastic wrap in the top to exclude the air, cap tightly and freeze.
Fresh whole crab can be served chilled or heated in a steamer, broiler or oven for 4 to 5 minutes. I like it cold with cocktail sauce, although some may prefer melted butter.
Picked meat can be served chilled, Crab Louis or cocktail style as a delicious appetizer, or in pasta such as Astoria's own Baked Alaska restaurant's Crab and Wild Mushrooms with fresh egg fettuccini and light saffron cream sauce. It can be a featured ingredient in a hot entrée such as Astoria's Bridgewater Bistro's Asian crab cakes, or maybe as a potato crab bisque like that served at The Arch Cape Inn in Oregon, or as something unique such as Seaview, Wash.'s 42nd Street Café's Dungeness crab beignets. There is no wrong way to eat crab, in my book.
But for me, gathering with a host of friends or your special one, spreading out some newspaper on the table, grabbing the nutcrackers and picks, and going at it with crab shells and juice flying everywhere ... crabwise, nothing can be finer.
By the way, don't forget lots of bibs and napkins.
All that, and our little crabby friends are even good for you. A 3-ounce portion of cooked meat has 19 grams of protein, contains important minerals and amino acids, is low in fat and calories and low in cholesterol and carbohydrates. Let's see ... tastes great, good for you, and you have to wear a bib to eat it. My kinda food.
