Let's Get Crabby

Dungeness crab season started in the Bay Area about two weeks ago. This is my favorite time of year because I love crab, and it's one of the easiest food items to prepare. I never really liked crab growing up because I thought it was too much work breaking through the shell to get to my food. But after tasting fresh crab as an adult, I was hooked! The key is to have it fresh, which is why I always buy my crab live. The recipe below is the traditional way Chinese restaurants often prepare crab, and I find it's an easy recipe that highlights the natural flavor of the crab blending it with the subtle flavors of ginger and scallions.

Now, I was going to post a demo of how to chop and clean a live crab, but I happened to get a very feisty crab from Chinatown. And he did not want to be called dinner, and fought till the very end. So the chopping, while generally stress-free and humane, turned out to be a massacre that wasn't pretty for public viewing. Needless to say, the steps of butchering a live crab is not very difficult, but depending on the crab, can be quite challenging. Fresh crab meat still produces the best flavoring when cooked. But if you're afraid of live crab, then have your fishmonger kill it and clean it for you and then drive straight home and cook it.