Dungeness crabs are such a sweet and meaty delicacy, you want to be sure to cook them just right! Here, we borrow Marylands famous style of eating blue crabs and apply it to west coast Dungies. We steam the Dungeness crab legs (or clusters) in Beer & Old Bay and dip them in herbed butter and a fantastic red wine vinegar mixture.

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“You’ll never want to eat crabs any other way”

-JJ

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Why Dungeness Crab?

If you’re craving crab legs you have a lot of options. Theres the readily available frozen snow crabs that our friends on the remote Bering Sea harvest for the masses.

The east coast is famous for blue crabs or stone crab claws. If you’re lucky enough and can afford it there’s the massive delicate king crab. And then there’s the Dungeness crab.

Dungeness crabs are my favorite crabs, hands down. Living in Oregon, I will admit to regional bias, but its my proximity to this beautiful resource that has opened my eyes to how special they are.

I prefer Dungeness crabs over other species for four main reasons; Flavor, price, value, and sustainability. Let’s break those down a bit.

Dungeness Crab Leg Flavor

Dungeness crab are known for being mouthwatering-ly sweet, mellow, and even slightly nutty. It’s body meat is super tender, while the legs are a bit more firm.

Dungeness Crab Leg Price

If you get Dungeness crab legs at the grocery, in season, you can typically expect to pay around 9-12$ a pound.

Dungeness Crab Leg Value

Price is a factor in the value, but it goes beyond that. Dungeness crab is a better value because about 25% of the crab is meat. Thats a lot compared to snow crabs or stone crabs.

Dungeness Crab Leg Sustainability

Dungeness crabs are one of the more sustainable seafood options out there. They are harvested using traps, rings, or even by hand. They don’t have to travel nearly as far as snow or king crabs, which come from the remote Bering Sea.

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Dungeness Crab Season

The commercial season for Dungeness crab typically runs from December to July. You can expect to find the cheapest price in the winter and spring months, when crabs are being caught by the boat load.

As the year grows older the crabs begin to molt and their shells become weaker, making it more of a challenge to travel and ship them.

However if want to get out there and snag some of your own crabs you can do this year round, with the exception of

If you’re a first timer and need a helpful guide to crabbing on the Oregon coast, check out my friends post about it here! Guide to Crabbing on the Oregon Coast.

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Buying Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

You have a couple options when buying Dungeness crabs, you can by them live, cooked whole, clusters, or just the meat. What you’re doing and what your price point is will depend on what you should get.

Buying Live Dungeness Crabs

Live Dungeness crabs are a real treat, it doesn’t get any more fresh than live, but you’ll pay for it. If you can’t find live dungies in your area you can order live Dungeness crab online from Pacific Dream Seafoods out of Anacortes, WA!

Buying Whole Cooked Dungeness crab

Bright orange whole cooked Dungeness crabs are what west coast crab eating is all about. You’ll have to break them down and clan them, but thats part of the fun! If your fish purveyor won’t do it for you we have a video on how to do it below.

Buying Dungeness crab Clusters (Legs)

Clusters are the frozen sections that have been cooked and cleaned with the carapace taken off and split in half. It’s a good compromise to still having the fun of breaking down a crab without a lot of the mess.

Buying Dungeness crab Meat

It’s a lot of work to pick all the meat off a Dungeness crab. That’s why buying just the meat is pretty speedy. Picked Dungeness crab meat can run you upwards of $50 for half a pound. If you wanna go that route, the Seattle Fish Company is a reputable fish purveyor.

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STEAMED DUNGENESS CRAB LEGS (CLUSTERS)

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Ingredients for Steamed Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

Here’s what you’ll need to make this old bay and beer steamed Dungeness cluster recipe.

• Dungeness Crab: One whole Dungeness crab will yield two Dungeness crab clusters. A lot of supermarket will sell the clusters already cleaned.

• Old Bay Seasoning: This stuff is the ticket man, tell you what! Gotta have the Old Bay Seasoning, its law.

• Beer/water: I like to use a flavorful IPA to steam my crabs. But you don’t have to abuse alcohol this way, water is fine.

• Dipping Sauce: Herbed butter or Red Wine Vinegar. They’re super easy to make, you just need lemon juice, butter, fresh thyme or rosemary and red wine vinegar and old bay seasoning.

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How to Steam Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

Steaming Dungeness clusters is a simple and delicious way to prepare this tasty seafood treat. Follow these step-by-step instructions to steam a Dungeness crab at home:

Step 1: Prep your Pot

Place a large pot over medium high heat and pour a couple cups of water or a beer into the bottom. Add your steaming basket, the crabs, and generously season with old bay all over the crab. It will feel excessive, but that means you are doing it right!

Step 2: Steam

Cover the pot with a lid and let the cooked crabs steam for 15 minutes.

Step 3: Make your Dips

Takes a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and stirs in a couple clumps of the old bay that has stuck to the steamed crab. The exact mixture isn’t a science but its about a 60/40 red wine/old bay ratio. It’s the best Dungeness crab cluster dip out there! #todiefor

Now for the herbed butter dip, an undeniable classic. Simply melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a non stick skillet and toss in the fresh herbs. Let those guys hang out for awhile to integrate and then add a good squeeze from a lemon wedge.

Step 4: Serve

While your crabs are steaming, lay out newspaper or brown paper bags onto your serving area. Cut up some lemon wedges and set out the sauces and a bowl for discarded crab shells. And paper towels, you’re definitely going to need paper towels.

Remove pot from heat and walk it over to the table, use tongs to take out the crabs and set them on the paper bag lined table. Embrace the mess and dive in!

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How to Clean & Eat Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

Here’s a step-by-step video on how to breakdown and eat a Dungeness clusters:

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Dipping Sauces for Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

This is a hot topic in some circles. Some folks live for the butter dunk, and others like my wife, claims red wine vinegar and old bay is THE dip. Some say you don’t even need a dip. I say, everyone is right.

Frankie hails from the east coast, specifically Maryland, where eating crabs is some what of a religion. She was taught, and then taught me, how to make the holly grail of crab dips.

She takes a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and stirs in a couple clumps of old bay that stick to the steamed crab. The exact mixture isn’t a science but its about a 60/40 red wine/old bay ratio.

Now you have the herbed butter dip, an undeniable classic. Simply melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a non stick skillet and toss in the fresh herbs. Let those guys hang out for awhile to integrate and then add a good squeeze from a lemon wedge.

Either sauce is fantastic, so try them both!

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Storing Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

Fresh cooked crab can last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days if it is stored properly. To store cooked crab in the fridge, place the crab in the coldest part of the fridge, such as the bottom shelf or the back of the fridge.

Fresh uncooked crab can last in the fridge for up to 2 days if it is stored properly. To store uncooked crab in the fridge, place it in a bowl or container and cover it with a damp cloth or paper towels.

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Frozen Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

If you caught your own crab or just bought way to many crabs and need to freeze them, here are some tips.

To freeze cooked Dungeness crab, cool to room temperature first. Place it in an airtight container. Be sure to remove as much air as possible from the container to prevent freezer burn. Label the wrapped or covered crab with the date and place it in the freezer. Frozen cooked crab can last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

To thaw frozen crab, you can place it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, or thaw it in the microwave using the “defrost” setting.

Once the crab is thawed, it can be eaten cold or heated in the microwave or on the stove. Just be sure to heat it until it is fully heated and the internal temperature reaches 145°F to ensure that it is safe to eat.

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What to Serve with Dungeness Crab Legs (Clusters)

Wondering what to serve with your Dungeness crab clusters? We got you, check out some of our other recipes for some ideas.

Sweet Potato Wedges or Garlic Parmesan Fries are a great options to serve alongside a Dungeness crab cluster. Fish and Chips anyone?

If you need more Dungeness crab recipes we got you there too! You gotta try these Dungeness crab Cakes, they’re packed full of crab meat.

Don’t waste those crab carcausess! They make a kick ass shellfish stock, check out the recipe here. Crab Stock Recipe.

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Dungeness Crab Leg/Cluster FAQ’s

When is Dungeness crab season?

In Oregon, the commercial Dungeness crab season typically runs from December to August. It operates on quotas and the season can fluctuate.

How do you clean a Dungeness crab Cluster?

We go a video that shows you exactly what to do! Scroll back up or check it out here: How to Clean & Break down a Dungeness crab.

How do you store Dungeness crab?

Fresh cooked crab can last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days if it is stored properly. To store cooked crab in the fridge, place the crab in the coldest part of the fridge. If you freeze Dungeness crab meat, use a vacuum sealer to remove all the air, as it will cause freezer burn and make the meat rubbery.

Are Dungeness crab clusters sustainable?

Dungeness crabs are one of the more sustainable seafood options out there. They are harvested using traps, rings, or even by hand. They don’t have to travel nearly as far as snow or king crabs, which come from the remote Bering Sea.

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