The Dungeness Crab
The Dungeness crab or scientifically known as the Metacarcinus magister is usually found along North America’s western coast. Chefs throughout the Pacific Northwest love this crab for its flavor and place as a culinary delicacy.
This crab features a deep red color and adorns white patches on its body. It is more than 10 inches wide and weighs more than 2 pounds. They usually live alongside the red rock crab which is yet another favorite in the world of seafood.
The Dungeness crabs are much larger and you can pinpoint them with the help of their fan-shaped shell. Most of the crab’s weight consists of the meat inside it, thus making it much more desirable than other crab şirinevler species.
The population of these crabs is thriving which is an indication that you can easily catch these crabs without diminishing them in numbers. The peak season to catch these crabs is in the month of November and ends through till the end of June.
If you can find it on your local crab menu you can definitely try this delicacy in Greensboro. As you can find the best crab legs in Greensboro.
Where Can You Find it?
The natural habitat of the Dungeness crab is the Pacific Ocean and its adjacent regions stretching from Alaska to California. Due to this, the fishing area of the Dungeness crab is relatively large. This gives you the chance to easily get your hands on one of these amazing seafood specialties, which is a big part of crab boil Greensboro.
How is it Caught?
This crab is amongst one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world. The capture of these sea creatures is closely looked at so that there are no negative impacts of catching them on the environment. Circular pots with clams are usually used to catch these crabs. Other animals like squids and herrings are also used as bait when catching the Dungeness crab.
Another way to harvest these crabs is by picking them up along the beach after a high tide. Some individuals also dive into the water to catch the crabs near the shoreline. Their high availability is what helps them to be on your local crab menu.
Use of the Dungeness Crab in the Kitchen
The Dungeness crab is a culinary delicacy. Before, Europeans came to settle in the United States and Canada. The people living here treated this crab as a traditional part of their diet. They would harvest these crabs at low tide and would catch them every day. You can also find the best crab legs in Greensboro.
The meat of this crab has a nice and delicate flavor to it. It is slightly sweeter than other crab meats, thus they are more loved than others. In today’s world, this crab is an essential part of the cuisines in California and the Pacific Northwest.
For Dungeness crabs about one-quarter of its weight consists of its meat. You can purchase these crabs both live and fully cooked. If you opt for the live crab, you can simply cook it by putting them in a boiling pot of saltwater. Let it be like this till the pot comes to another boil and from that point let it cook for fifteen minutes. After the fifteen minutes are over you can remove the crab from the pot and place it into cold water so that it can cool down. Once it is cool you can then clean it thoroughly.
Another method that you can use to prepare the crab is half backing. In this process, you flip the crab upside down and chop it into two halves, from the head to the tail. Then you can scoop out its guts to clean it. Most individuals consider this method to be superior to cooking the crab whole. As in this way the crab meat does not come in contact with the toxins of the gut and its flavor.
Moreover, it is much more efficient as after half backing the crab boils faster, as well as can be quickly steamed. Additionally, try not to use any form of tool to remove the meat from the crab as that can comprise the integrity of the meat.
What does it Taste Like?
Dungeness crab has a very distinctive sweet flavor. Some people even go ahead to describe it as a nutty flavor. They are the best crab legs in Greensboro. Its body meat is much tender and complements the firm meat of the legs. The rich meat and the delicious flavor are what make this crab so widely loved.
Why is the Dungeness Crab so Expensive?
Dungeness crab prices have recently risen. This is because there is a dwindling supply of fresh Dungeness crabs. You would wonder why that is.
The reason that this supply is dwindling is that there has been a delay in the opening of the commercial crab season. Most markets that have a supply of these crabs usually import them from Canada and that is the reason why they are selling at such a high price. The recent harvesting closure that the American market had to bear, lead the retailers to shop from elsewhere. Causing the prices of the crab to rise significantly.
The commercial crab season should have started in November, but there was a delay in the opening for the third year in a row. The first time around there was a delay due to the domoic acid problem then the next year around there was an issue with the crabs being immature.
This time the reason for the delay was the humpback whales. This season was on hold as there were dozens of humpback whales that were around the whole bay. These endangered species were continuously spotted in the fishing zone. The main concern was that if fishing were to commence these whales would get entangled in the fishing escort gear.
Thus the fishermen who were hoping to earn a huge pay were left to make the ends meet through whichever means possible. Therefore, in the hopes of putting Dungeness crab on the table for the people, right when Christmas Eve was near. Fishermen had to import these crabs from other markets. Leaving the people to deal with ridiculously high prices. This also led to the increase in prices of other things on the crab menu like crab boil Greensboro and other crab dishes.