Dungeness Crab

[Clover]

I picked up some live dungeness crab at the false creek wharf today for $6/lb. The guy who sold it to me was great and really wants to get people interested in buying crab at the dock. He killed and cleaned the crabs for me right there on the dock and gave me pointers on doing it myself next time. How much does it get for fresh seafood than casting the shells off to the seagulls and taking the fresh meat home?!?

I've cooked live crab before, but I am going to have to get me some of those giant rubber gloves before I tear into them before boiling.

There were a number of people who came down to watch from Go Fish, but most something was holding a lot of them back (well, except for the guy from C who took away lbs and lbs of beautiful crabs). I hope this takes off as there are few things better than really fresh dungeness crab.

[Clover]

I forgot to add that they try to be there at the dock at 3pm.

[mkjr]

i think it only gets better if you cast the traps of the whiterock pier yourself with a little chicken for bait.....i always get freaked out when you have to tear the heads off to clean them out...glad another did that for you. makes me feel as bad as getting lobsters split while alive...man do I love that crab...in Toronto it's called Vancouver crab...

Edited July 7, 2007 by mkjr (log)

[lauraf]

Is he there daily? After my first experience wrenching heads off spot prawns - while liberating, I suppose - I am more than happy to let someone else do the dirty work for me.

[Clover]

Is he there daily?  After my first experience wrenching heads off spot prawns - while liberating, I suppose - I am more than happy to let someone else do the dirty work for me. 

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That was the impression I got.

[fud]

i think it only gets better if you cast the traps of the whiterock pier yourself with a little chicken for bait.....i always get freaked out when you have to tear the heads off to clean them out...glad another did that for you.  makes me feel as bad as getting lobsters split while alive...man do I love that crab...in Toronto it's called Vancouver crab...

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Been there. Done that. Wonderful stuff. Only problem is I always seem to catch the girly crabs and I have to return them to freedom to make more crabs for us to eat Chicken works wonders in traps. So does putrid rotting salmon heads. Stinky seems to be the big attraction for crabs.

[Matt R.]

You don't want to think about what crabs and shrimp eat. They are bottom feeders, after all.

We get our crabs delivered to us by a local fisherman. They come in feisty, and pretty pissed off it would seem. Since we are located at a marina, we keep these crabs in traps in the ocean until a guest orders one - then someone runs down to the dock, pulls up the crab trap and brings what we need back up. Killed, cleaned then steamed. Pretty fresh, I'd say!

It should be noted that the entire crab is edible, except the gills, also known as 'dead mans fingers' .... sounds scary, eh?

-- Matt.+