FRESH Crabs - an advantage of living near the Pacific Ocean

Dungeness crabs are a specialty of the Pacific Northwest. They sell in the local markets for $5 to $7 per pound, BUT an annual shellfish permit only costs $6.50 and you can catch up to 12 every day. The permit is good for shrimp, clams, and crabs. Crab season runs from December 1 to August 15. You can go out into the bays or ocean on a boat or drop your traps from one of the docks jutting out into the bays around the coastal areas. You can even rent traps on a daily basis. The trap comes with a rotting, smelly fish that you use for bait.

Of course you will get crabs of all types and sizes in your trap


However, you may only keep the male crabs over a certain size - so after measuring and "sexing", all the females and smaller crabs go back into the water.

But, there's plenty left to take home.

The crabbing dock has a place where they will steam them for you free-of-charge if you want; or you can ice them down and take them home to cook yourself. We wanted them FRESH so they made the trip to our kitchen in a bucket of ice. Then after a quick scrub in the sink and they were ready for the pot.

We chose to steam these without crab boil seasoning so that we could enjoy the natural sweetness of the first crabs of the season.

Pop off the top shell and dig in.

As soon as January 1 rolls around I'm off to get my license; then look out crabs here I come.