Easy Dungeness Crab Recipes To Do at Home 

We hope you’re hungry for crab! 

Dungeness crab has a sweet and even slightly nutty taste to it—and with the tender body meat long with the firm leg meat—you are bound to encounter numerous and tasty recipes that can be created from it. 

In a previous article, you learned how to boil and steam Dungeness crab, as well as clean it properly to prepare to eat. Now you will learn some easy and delicious recipes that you can create from your live Dungeness crab. 

Let’s get cooking! 

Dungeness Crab Appetizers 

You can use Dungeness crab to make amazing appetizers that will delight any crowd. Do you have a holiday get-together coming up? Or would you like to surprise your partner with your newly acquired crab-cooking skills? Whatever the reason, it is almost always Dungeness crab season!

Spicy Crab Bisque (Food & Wine Magazine via Tanya Holland) 

Image Credit: Food and Wine Magazine 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 white onion (small finely chopped)
• 6 celery ribs (finely chopped)
• 6 scallions (thinly sliced)
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Mashed Roasted Garlic
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• .13 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch of ground clove 
• 1 pinch of ground mace
• 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ tablespoon Tabasco (to 1 )
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds lump crab or Dungeness crabmeat (jumbo)
• Oyster crackers (for serving)

Steps

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, scallions and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth is thickened and the vegetables are very tender, 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Add the roasted garlic and milk; bring to a simmer. Stir in the sherry, ketchup, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, cloves, mace, nutmeg, cream and Tabasco and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crab; simmer until hot. Discard the bay leaves. Serve the bisque with oyster crackers.

Green Goddess Crab Tapas (Cooking Channel via Kelsey Nixon) 

Image Credit: Cooking Channel 

Ingredients 

Dressing 

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (chopped)
• 2 lemons (juice of)
• 1 lemon
• 1 avocado (halved, pitted and peeled)

Crostini 

• 1 baguette (sliced on the bias 1/4-inch thick)
• extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound Dungeness crabmeat (picked for shells, jumbo lump can be substituted)
• smoked paprika (for finishing)
• sea salt (for finishing)

Steps 

1. For the dressing: Put the mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, lemon zest and avocado in a food processor and process until smooth.
   
   
2. For the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread out the baguette slices in one layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
   
3. Spread the baguette slices generously with dressing, then top with crabmeat. Sprinkle it with smoked paprika and sea salt.

Dungeness Crab Main Dish Recipes

Now for two simple, yet elegant main dishes that you can make either to complement one of these appetizers or to have paired with something different. 

Kendall-Jackson Cracked Dungeness Crab (Sonoma Magazine) 

Image Credit: The Mercury News 

Ingredients 

• 2½ gallons water
• 4 stalks celery, large dice
• 2 carrots, large dice
• 1 onion, large dice
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 bay leaf ¼ bunch parsley
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 lemons, halved
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3 (1½-pound) Dungeness crabs In a large stock pot, add water, vegetables, bay leaf, parsley and salt and bring to a rolling boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Steps

1. Add the wine, lemons and white vinegar; cook for 10 minutes.
   
   
2. Add the crabs, return to a boil and cook for 13-15 minutes.
   
   
3. Carefully remove the crabs from the stock pot and shock in an ice water bath. If serving the crabs warm, skip the ice water bath and serve with melted butter.

If you’re wanting something not so “whole,” the next recipe might be what you are looking for. Tired of Taco Tuesday? Get festive with crab enchiladas! 

Creamy White Sauce Crab Enchiladas (Plating Pixels) 

Image Credit: Plating Pixels

Ingredients  

• 16 ounces light sour cream
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 cup milk
• 8 ounces diced green chilies (can roasted, drained)
• 1 pound imitation crab meat (or fresh, chopped into small pieces)
• 3 green onion stalks (sliced, about ½ cup)
• 12 corn tortillas (7-inch)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• cilantro leaves (Fresh, for garnish, optional)

Steps

1. Stir together sour cream, yogurt, flour, salt, cumin, and paprika. Stir in milk and green chilies, then divide sauce in half.
   
   
2. Stir in chopped crab meat and green onions in one half of the sauce to make the filling.
   
   
3. Evenly divide crab filling between corn tortillas. Roll tightly and line into a baking dish, seam down.
   
   
4. Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the tops of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and bake.

We hope we stimulated your taste buds and hinder cues and encouraged you to step outside of cooking your traditional meals and try a Dungeness crab recipe. You learned how to cook Live Dungeness crab in a previous article—now you have a few yummy recipes to add to your crab-cooking list. 

You might be wondering why we did not recommend any crab cake recipes. That’s because we have an entire article dedicated to the famous crab cake! Stay up-to-date with our next few articles and learn more delicious and simple Dungeness crab recipes. 

If you’re looking to purchase live Dungeness crabs for your next recipe, browse through your options at Fathom Seafood, where you can easily order live Dungeness crab for sale and get them delivered straight to your door.