What is dungeness crab

These bottom dwellers start life as larvae and develop by regularly shedding their shell and growing a new, larger one. During this molting period, crabs hide in rocky, creviced habitat. Live Dungeness crabs usually have a light green or purplish brown shell with a serrated edge that turns red when cooked.

The size, colour and flavour of Dungeness vary depending on the season, local habitat, feed and other ecological factors. This fishery uses wire traps submerged on the seafloor to catch Dungeness crab. Traps are attached to lines and marked by floats on the surface. The traps attract crab with bait and capture them live. Sign up for quarterly updates, news and upcoming exclusive offers. How it works. Trace your fish For developers. Latest News Events Tweets. Flavour: The meat of the Dungeness crab is sweet, mild and might even present a slightly nutty taste.

Perfect serve: The simplest serve—boiled in salted water and served straight from the shell with melted butter and bread warm from the oven—cannot be beaten. You can also switch the salted water with a flavourful, but not too heavy, microbrewery beer, for a fragrant twist.

Flash forward to present day and west coast Dungeness crab landings are stronger than any time in history with the foundation of regulations nearly identical to those in place in Since the fishery was established, Oregon has consistently been one of the largest producers of Dungeness crab on the west coast.

Dungeness crabs make commercial fishermen a pretty penny. Annually, 20, tonnes of this type of crab are caught or farmed. The popularity of crabbing for sport also helps coastal economies. In Puget Sound for example, which is one of the most popular fisheries to go crabbing, sport fisherman and ladies alike, and even children, come during fishing season to see how many pounds of Dungeness crab they can catch.

On average, sports fishermen catch around 1. That equals a growth in tourism and the coastal economy. No matter if you are interested in catching live Dungeness crab yourself, have been inspired to cook up an elaborate meal with crab as the main dish, such as the great options from Fathom Seafood , or simply want to admire them—there are plenty out there for all to enjoy.

Continue reading our next articles about the Dungeness crab and what they have to offer. What is Dungeness Crab? Leave a comment. Name Email. If your knowledge of the West Coast's favorite crustacean is limited to the fact they're delicious, then this dungeness crab info is for you.

While East Coasters may laud Maryland crab as the royalty of the sea, the rest of the nation has crowned a different king: the leggy, heart-shaped Dungeness crab. While crab usually elicits thoughts of summer cookouts, Dungeness season begins in mid-November to early December.

Though the season technically lasts until July, most of the crabbing especially in California happens during the first few months. Most people use crab traps to bring in their haul.