Name: How to Cook Dungeness Crab
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 2 lb live Dungeness crab; filtered water

This is something I grew up with as a kid. Mom would at least once a year load up on in-season, cheap Dungeness crabs to steam. There would always be about six of us at the dinner table, but we’d always have an abundance of crab and we’d continue eating it again the following day.

We always kept it simple with lemon, salt and pepper. Of course there was always cheap American lager on ice (gramps and his buddies’ favorite). No need for butter, sauces, or anything fancy. The crab was the star of the show, and that’s all we needed.

Even after moving out, I’ve continued celebrating crab season with my family and friends for many, many consecutive years by enjoying an annual crab boil. As a result, I’ve tested plenty of ways to cook and eat Dungeness crab over the years. Learn some of my favorite tips on where to find the best live crab prices, how to pick crab, the best cooking method, and how to break it down.

What months are crab season?

tray of steamed Dungeness crab with lemons, salt, pepper

Depending on the type of crab, the season for fresh crab can range anywhere between late Fall to early Spring and even early Summer. Dungeness crabs from California are best available from December-April (sometimes it can last longer depending on the season).

During crab season, I’ve purchased live Dungeness crabs on sale for as low as $5.99 per pound (and my mom in San Jose has even gotten them for lower!). A good average price is about $8.99 per pound when it’s not marked down significantly. I stay clear of anything over $10 per pound.

How to choose and keep live Dungeness crab fresh

Picking live Dungeness crab is relatively simple. First, make sure the crabs are alive and kicking, and if they’re heavy. Weightier Dungeness crab means more meat on them. I try to pick crabs that are around 1.5-2 pounds each.

When I buy live crab from my local Asian grocery store, I bring a cooler with ice in the car to keep them chilled and transfer this to a cool garage at home until cooking them. However, I don’t need to add too much ice since crab season is during the colder months.

Here are some local Vietnamese grocery stores that I’ve bought live Dungeness crab from:

Song Hy Supermarket (live Dungeness crab)
ABC Supermarket (live Dungeness crab)
Costco (already cooked Dungeness crab)

Is it better to steam or boil Dungeness crab?

I prefer to steam Dungeness crab in a large pot because it helps retain more juice. Boiling is a bit more aggressive, gets water in any cracks, and can really pull out the crab juice.

I especially love eating the crab’s tomalley (this is from the Carib word tumale, referring to the sauce, fat, or liver and pancreas in a crab shell), so steaming works best if you like to eat this part of the crab. Steaming also prevents you from overcooking crab, which can cause the meat to become rubbery and dry.

Do you need to clean crab before cooking?

rinsing off Dungeness crab with hose outdoors

Whenever I cook Dungeness crabs, I always hose them down in the backyard before steaming them. Cleaning ensures I don’t keep dirt or weird water from the grocery store tanks on the crabs.

Note that some people refer to “cleaning” crabs as a way of breaking them down and potentially removing the carapace (the back shell) and the innards; however, I like to cook crabs whole because I eat all of the parts of the crab and want to keep the shell juices and crab fat (tomalley). If you’re interested in cleaning and breaking down raw crab to only cook the legs and body, you can use this tool and instruction video.

How long to steam a whole Dungeness crab

Steaming crab can take 15-30 minutes, depending on the size and weight of the Dungeness crab. We steam the whole crab over medium-high heat for at least 30 minutes for a two-pound crab.

How to tell when crab is done cooking

holding steamed Dungeness crab with tongs

When cooking the whole crab by steaming or boiling, it can be challenging to figure out when it’s done. The best indicator that it’s done is when the Dungeness crab’s shell changes color from dark brown to bright orange. You may also see yellow-white, opaque solidified fat coming out of the crab when they’re finished. And once you open it, the meat should be tender and opaque (while raw meat is more translucent). The tomalley is also a bright mustard color.

How to break down (or “clean”) a crab

This is how I break down my cooked Dungeness crab:

1. Turn the crab upside down, so the abdomen is facing up. Open the abdomen flap (or apron) and remove it from the body.

pulling apart top and bottom of crab shell

removing bottom of crab shell to reveal tomalley

2. There should be a small hole in the space where the flap is removed. Split open the shell from the body by using this small hole. I like to put both thumbs facing out into the hold and pry open the crab like you’re opening a book. TIP: keep the back shell as flat on the table as possible, so you don’t spill the juice and tomalley if you’re going to eat this part.

3. Remove and discard the spongy gills and the hard mandible shells from the body. You may also have excess pieces of the tomalley on the body, you can eat this or remove it.

4. Option to eat the tomalley from the back shell either by itself or mixing some rice into it.

5. To break down the body with the legs, split the body in the middle, so you have two parts with legs and half a body. You don’t need a knife to split it open, just fold it towards itself, and it should break.

6. Each half should have four crab legs, making four sections along the body. Using your hands (or a knife), separate the crab legs and body into four sections. I like using my hands because it doesn’t create small pieces of broken shells between each section. You should end up with eight total “lollipop” legs and parts of the body.

7. Cracking open the legs is easiest with tools. Use crab pickers and your hands to remove the meat from the shells. Also, use crab crackers to break down thicker pieces of leg shells.

Tools to eat a Dungeness crab

crab cracker, metal pick, kitchen shears

Crab tools are necessary for breaking down and eating Dungeness crab because the legs can be pretty difficult to open, and the intricacy of the inner cartilage can be annoying to pick through. Here are some tools and accessories I like to have on hand whenever we host a crab boil:

claw cracker
crab / seafood picker
kitchen shears
bib, optional
disposable gloves, optional

The best ways to eat Dungeness crab?

In terms of just eating the crab, I like it plain. Just crab meat with a simple dipping sauce of salt, pepper, and lime / lemon juice. Sometimes an occasional dip in melted butter, but when the crab is good this isn’t even necessary.

For good side dish pairings (besides good ‘ole rice), our go-to side dishes for crab boils are garlic noodles, grilled corn on the cob, grilled clams, potatoes, and raw oysters.

Saving and storing leftover crab

While most days I eat one crab in one sitting, some years we get a bounty, and crabs are larger than expected. If you have leftovers, I recommend only keeping cooked crab in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also store cooked crab in the freezer for up to one month. The earlier you eat it, the better it’ll taste. If you have time, break down the crab before placing it in the fridge so you don’t have to worry about reheating it in a shell later. My favorite ways to eat leftover crab are in sushi, like California rolls, or make crab cakes with a crab cake sauce!