How To Cook Dungeness Crab

Who doesn't love fresh dungeness crab! Steaming is our favorite way to enjoy crab. It's fast, easy, and delicious. Here's how to cook dungeness crab. Plus a recipe for a very good dipping sauce ^_^

For some reason, crab made at home always tastes better than crab ordered at a restaurant. The same goes for steak. No matter how fancy the cut or nice the restaurant, crab and steak are two things I prefer at home.

So the next time you come across fresh and lively dungeness crabs at the market, buy them! Then steam them.

Fresh steamed dungeness crab is super delicious, especially with a good dipping sauce. You can make one crab for everyone to share as part of a larger dinner. Or make one crab per person for a fun crab dinner.

Steaming is a simple way to prepare crabs, minimal mess and easy clean up!

Ingredients

Here's what you need. It's just one ingredient:

• 2 fresh dungeness crabs - the crabs we used were just under 2 pounds each.

If you want a dipping sauce to go with the crab (always a good idea), here's the recipe for our lemon pepper sauce.

The only special equipment you need is a steamer. I like to use a 3 tier steamer.

Instructions

First, wash and clean the crab!

Give each crab a quick rinse under cool running water. Place them on a plate and set aside (though keep an eye out, some crabs are extra lively!)

Then prepare your steamer. If using a 3-tier steamer, remove the top 2 layers (set it aside for now), so that you just have a big pot and lid.

Fill the bottom pot about ⅓ full with water. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil.

Note: I use a 3-tier steamer in the photo above. If your crabs fit into one layer, then you can use it as a 2-tier steamer (just set the other tier on the side).

While you wait for the water to boil, place the crab upside down (shell facing down) on one of the tiers.

Once the water boils, remove the lid.

Then place their tier (with the crab upside down and already in the tier), on top of the pot.

Put the lid on top. And then steam! Steam on high heat for 13-15 minutes.

Note: Steam for 13 minutes for 1 crab. Steam for 15 minutes for 2 crabs. This timing is for dungeness crabs that are about 2 pounds each.

For larger crabs, you may need to steam for a minute or two more.

Once the crabs are done steaming, turn off the heat.

Transfer the entire steamer (pot, tiers, and all) to a counter/table and place on a trivet.

Remove the lid and set aside. Lift up the tier with the crab and place it on top of a large, heatproof bowl or pot (basically anything wide enough to hold the tier).

Then immediately pile a bunch of ice cubes the crab. This will help stop the crab from cooking further while keeping all the "juices" in the crab.

Once the ice melts and drips down into the bowl/pot (the purpose of placing the bowl/pot under the tier is to catch the liquid from the melted ice), the crabs should be cool to the touch.

Remove the crabs to a plate.

And then, your next steps depends on how you plan to eat the crab!

When we have "crab dinner," we steam one crab per person. Everyone gets a plate with a whole crab. And you're in charge of cracking your own crab 🙂

If the crab is part of a larger dinner, we (aka my mom) cracks the crabs and sets it on a large plate for everyone to share. Thank you, mom!!!

Top Tip

Get a good steamer. A 3 tier steamer might seem like an investment (both in terms of cost and space), but after the rice cooker, it is my single most used kitchen equipment.

We steam almost daily. It's one of the healthiest ways to cook and also one of the easiest. We steam fish, sweet potato, tofu, eggs, pork and salted fish, chicken, even pork hash. There are many dishes you can make with a steamer!

We purchased our steamer many years ago (I'm pretty sure I was still in high school) from one of those small grocery stores in Chinatown. You can still buy the from those stores or from large Asian supermarkets like 99 Ranch or H Mart. Or you can buy them online, here are a couple of options.

FAQ

How To Cook Dungeness Crab Recipe