Image Credit / Smoky Ribs BBQ

 Rus Jones, the owner of Smoky Ribs BBQ, admits it’s his first time to have Dungeness crab from the Pacific Northwest—and who better to get them from than Fathom Seafood?

This backyard and YouTube chef takes food to another level. Rus covers all the bases with some of the finest recipes on YouTube from traditional Southern barbecue, burgers, pizza, cajun cuisines, seafood, bread, desserts, and many many more! 

Rus is using his Tunnel Tube Cooker in the video, which only takes a few minutes to heat up to the proper boiling temperature. If you read the YouTube video’s comments, viewers are amazed by the size and quality of the cooker. 

Let’s get cookin’! 

Recipe for Viet Cajun Crab Boil with Dungeness Crabs

Image Credit / Instagram

Prepping the Water

• Add 5 gallons of water to your cooker for this specific recipe; otherwise, cut ingredients in size.
• Add 2 cups of Swamp Fire Seafood Boil cajun seasoning to the boiling water in the Tunnel Tube Cooker.
• Also add a 2.3oz jar of Bad Juju’s Cajun Blend, which is made of paprika, red pepper, and garlic.
• Toss in a large lemon, sliced up for some zest.
• Add in 5 whole heads of garlic.
• Cut 2 large stalks of lemongrass and crush smaller pieces to release flavor; add to water.
• Toss in a small amount of ginger.
• Take 5 Thai hot chilis and add to the water.
• Add one full cup of Viet Huong fish sauce.
• Lastly, add 6 small pieces of bay leaf to the water.

Cooking the Dungeness Crab

• To ensure your crab is healthy, it should be somewhat lively, especially when touched, and not lethargic-looking.
• Remove the crabs’ pincher rubber bands.
• Keeping your crab ice cold before they are ready to be boiled keeps them dormant and causes them not to struggle as much in the water; basically instant death.
• Boil crabs roughly 7 minutes per pound.

Prepping the Crab to Eat

• Once fully cooked, take out Dungeness crab and place it in a bucket of ice water.
• Allow the seasoning water to cool down as well: suggested temp of 155 degrees.
• Once the seasoning has cooled, drop Dungeness crabs back into the water to allow them to take in all of that amazing flavor for about 15 to 20 minutes. 
• Take crabs out and begin removing their shells.
• Start cleaning the crabs and removing all of the icky bits (organs, mouth, eyes, etc.)
• Cut each crab right in half, then in quarters, so you have individual clusters to end with.

Viet Cajun Sauce

This will tie it all together and give it a kick!

• Place one pound of butter (4 sticks) in a large skillet.
• Fully melt and add remaining chopped lemongrass.
• Add half a cup of minced garlic to the butter mixture.
• Squirt in a tablespoon of Rooster’s sriracha.
• Continue mixing.
• Add crab clusters to the butter sauce in the skillet, tossing them around to coat.
• Transfer crab clusters to a platter and pour the remaining sauce mixture over all clusters.

It’s time to get crackin’ and eatin’! 

Want to watch the entire video? 

Rus Jones gives a big shoutout to Fathom Seafood for sponsoring this video and providing the fresh and live Dungeness crab for the recipe. 

If you want another resource on how to cook Dungeness crab step by step please read our comprehensive article! 

Follow Rus on Instagram and YouTube where you can learn even more incredible and tasty recipes!