Dips, Muffins, Stews, Chili Crab and Extra

In my neck of the woods (the coniferous wonderland that’s the Pacific Northwest), if you discover freshly steamed Dungeness crabs, one of the simplest ways to savor their candy, ocean-kissed flesh is sort of easy: armed with a cracker and a decide and a wholesome provide of drawn butter, lemon wedges, and possibly a ramekin of cocktail sauce, or a bottle of fermented scorching sauce. They seem to be a expensive splurge on par with dwell lobsters and dry-aged steaks, and the preciousness of Dungeness virtually calls for a spartan strategy. Choosing a dear crab to make truffles (scrumptious although they might be) looks like a time-consuming absurdity.

In fact, discovering dwell Dungeness modifications the sport totally. Dishes like chili crab and cioppino are good methods to have a good time this uncommon prevalence, as chopping up and simmering the crustacean in a flavorful broth or sauce leads to a dish that feels worthy of the expenditure. The crab’s shell and juices taste the cooking liquid, and the cooking liquid seasons the crabmeat (in case you evenly crack every claw and limb to allow this magical intermingling).

Candy, savory blue crabs are a very completely different—however no much less particular—ingredient, which Critical Eats editorial director Daniel Gritzer has exhaustively lined in his recipes(his mother was a Maryland native and he is an honorary Marylander, as least so far as crabs are involved). Whether or not you are planning on an enormous, messy crab feast or getting ready a chic dinner of sautéed soft-shell crab for 2, we have you lined.

Lastly, for these of you beginning with picked crabmeat, we’ve loads of scrumptious concepts for the right way to benefit from it, from crab truffles and puffs to molten, breadcrumb-topped dips and spicy vodka-spiked pasta.