Dungeness Crabs

[Darrell]

Lately in Northern Va. Dungeess crabs have been showing up on supermarket shelves. These are called crab clusters and are the right and left sides of this crab precooked. You boil up some water and salt it a bit then drop them in and cook about 3 minutes to heat. These crabs have soft shells you can peel away easy and are excellent! I an not undertand how they are coming here as the demand must be real high for them! They are from the west coast. Not quite the same I will say as sitting down to a table of steamed blue crabs with family and friends for a crab feast ..but they are pretty good.

[NJ Grasshopper]

They fly them in frozen ----- used alot as an imitation for King Crab legs in those Chinese 'Super' Buffets. Not too bad served hot with alot of butter!!!!

[Kodi]

Not too bad......and me not being much of a cow eater I like it....but it's not the regular blues.  Still I'll take them over nothing.....

Kodi

[Crabbyboy]

  I have seen them, but never bought them.  Are they worth tryin?

[Kodi]

I'd recommend trying them if you've never had 'em.  They are pretty good.

Kodi

[NJ Grasshopper]

Ditto on the recomending trying them.

It's different, not 'blues' but ...... still very good!

[Darrell]

 Yes they are pretty good eating dipped in melted butter a bit. However they already are cooked so the meat is a bit water soaked like anything seafood cooked then frozen, As I say not the same thing as a good old blue crab feast but pretty good.

[Crabpop]

When we lived in northern California (1983-1991) I'd take my kids crabbing for Dungeness, either in our boat out of nearby Half Moon Bay or at one of the piers (usually Capitola).  Used crab rings measuring 36" across, with the upper ring portion made out of a heavy duty aluminum alloy about the size of rebar.  It was a lot of fun, but after a day of hauling up the rings, the arms and shourlders sure hurt.  Fifteen to twenty Dungeness filled a bushel basket.  They were excellent eating when freshly steamed--I've never tried frozen.
Maryland blue crabs, however, remain my favorite to this day.

[KaseyWolf]

I've never had fresh ones, but I saw a place here in PA that sold them live once.  Had them in one of those tanks like they use for live lobsters.

Around here you can get the clusters...basically a dungeness crab cut in half....or I have also seen them whole.

So far, I really haven't had a problem with them being too waterlogged or the meat being too mushy like some seafood gets after being frozen.  They can be expensive though.  Around here, they run $5-6/lb.  A whole dungeness crab usually will cost $9-11.  

I still like blue crabs the best, but I sure wouldn't mind trying to crab for some dungeness some time.

Kasey

[Kodi]

Near me (south of Balitmore) the local Giant or Metro food stores sometimes carry them in the lobster tank.  You might want to check near you and ask if they could get one or two for you.

Kodi

[fishnhunt]

The reason that they are showing up in your market is because the commerical fisherman have been fishing for them since december.

[KaseyWolf]

I wouldn't mind getting a live one...or two...

I've also seen stone crab claws for sell.  I've heard they harvest a claw from a crab then toss them back so they grow again.  Don't eat the rest of the crab, just the claws.

Anyone ever try one of them?
Kasey

[Crabpop]

Kasey, stone crab claws are great, if fresh.  I've had them in Miami and they don't come much fresher because they're harvested in Florida.  Great with butter!  The stone crab claw is a curved claw that resembles the claw of a small/medium lobster in size, but the shell is much heavier.  I've seen them locally, in Maryland, at Giant and at some of the larger seafood markets.  Just make sure they're fresh.  Stone crab claws are not frozen when shipped, so ask when they were delivered to the outlet.  If not fresh, they have a tendency to dry out some and have a stronger than normal flavor.  I bought some conch meat at a local place I've been dealing with for years, got it home, and was preparing to put it in chowder when I realized that some of the pieces were really foul smelling.  Returned it to the store and got my $ back.  Ended up having clam chower that evening.  

Crabpop

[NJ Grasshopper]

Hey KaseyWolf ---- See the posting in "Resturant Reviews" titled:

Truluck's Steak and Stonecrab

[/b] [/u]

[stmikenative]

We get a lot of Stone Crabs in Georiga, harvest one claw and throw the crab back to grow another one. They are very good, very close to tasting like lobster. I usually set 6 crab pots and end up with a dozen or so in addition to the blue crabs (none lately).

[NJ Grasshopper]

Ohhhhhhhhh "stmikenative" -----

I do envy ya regarding the Stone Claws. They are great!!!!!

[eeedddrrr]

Stone Crab claws are GREAT!!!! But Crabpop is right, you have to get them fresh, and never should they be frozen. Got some at Wegmans the other day,a little pricey, but well worth it. But you cannot beat the blues!! Just around the corner!! Enjoy

[NJ Grasshopper]

Hey all ......... I had a GREAT dinner tonight at:

Truluck's Steak and Stonecrab

(See resturant reviews section).

Eight, ........ (count em --- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, , One and a half pound each ------- 'Cold Water, whole, steamed, Lobsters'. (Burp).

I plan on an update to the previous review.

[Kodi]

NJ Grasshopper..........

Man, are you saying that you ate 8 one and a half pound lobsters YOURSELF or was that for others too??

Kodi

[NJ Grasshopper]

Just me .... myself ..... & I --------------------

with a wedge salad too ..............

took my time ----  three hours!!!

(It's Saturday and I still feel 'bound up').