Welcome to the Seattle Kitchen Podcast on Hot Stove Society Radio where chefs Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau share recipes based on a special weekly ingredient, review Puget Sound’s best restaurants and answer your burning culinary quandaries!
Chef Tom Douglas, owner of Seattle Kitchen and from Kiro 97.3 FM and Hot Stove Society Radio does an amazing job co-leading an entertaining culinary-related hour once a week for anyone to listen to for free online or through Apple Podcasts.
French chef Thierry Rautureau, who is known as the “Chef in the Hat,” has owned many fine-dining restaurants in Seattle after coming to the United States from France.
Visit his restaurants in Seattle called Luc and Loulay and experience amazing and delectable cuisines. 689
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Bon Appétit!
Fathom Seafood’s live Dungeness crab was featured on Seattle Kitchen’s May 2nd episode. Go here to listen to the full episode.
Before the crabs came out, Top Chef’s winner Shota Nakajima called in to speak about his newly opened Seattle restaurant, Taku, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Japanese meets comfort food—that is what Taku is all about.
Let’s all celebrate that indoor dining is back in action!
Image Credit / Stephanie Forrer via Forbes
Now, let’s talk about the crab.
Matthew Wei’s very own from Fathom Seafood answered numerous questions about crab for Tom and Thierry and got cookin’ in the kitchen to create their own crab dish.
Tom inquires about the logistics of selling live dungeness crab all over the country. This is a great question, as many people often wonder about what goes on behind the scenes.
Matthew says there are definitely logistical challenges, especially with COVID, but they do it successfully.
Their goal is to connect the boat to the consumer (restaurants, retails, and individuals) and allow anyone to experience their fresh caught crab.
Have you ever wondered about the interesting logistics of how live crabs go from the dock to your plate?
Fathom takes care of everything that happens once the boats get in. Wei says the process should have its own show called, The Deadliest Distribution!
The live Dungeness stay in saltwater holds until they are ready to be hauled off by mechanical hoists. Buyers wait to retrieve their crab where they then get shipped off in trucks to the next location.
Fathom’s warehouses in Tacoma have extremely sophisticated tanks to keep their crab until they are ready to be shipped out to their last stop. They can hold between 60,000 to 100,000 pounds of crab at once.
When a store calls and needs crab, Fathom’s hard-working employees arrange delivery.
Which are the best crabs to pick?
Wei says they should all be in fairly good health if they are in a live tank. When you grab a crab, look for a beefy and firm crab. Their eyes should look bright. The crab don’t necessarily need to be moving around—they tend to freeze up when held. Choose a healthy one and head on home.
Let’s get cookin’!
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Matthew Wei’s recommended instructions:
- Boil a very large pot with water—Wei says the more water the better, and season the water with salt before the crab goes in to keep the ocean flavor.
- Drop the crab into the pot right when you are ready to eat.
However, if you want to send your crab off into its afterlife before you drop it, take a sharp knife and stab it in the apron. The live crab will no longer be. Some people prefer this rather than seeing and hearing the crab squirm around the boiling water.
Wei gives a tip if you want to drop the live crab in but don’t want to witness a chaotic death: put the crab in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you boil it; it will slow down significantly to where it won’t move once boiled.
- Boil crab for about 6 to 7 minutes; leave on counter to cool off on its own —Thierry recommends this while Fathom recommends 12 to 13 minutes.
Voilà! You are done and may prepare it however you would like.
It is the seafood-grilling season! Grab a glass of wine, sit in a pool lounge, and bask in the sun while your meal is cooking. Or stay in the kitchen while serving guests a succulent crab meal. Either way— enjoy!
Don’t forget to purchase your fresh, live Dungeness crab from Fathom Seafood today!
Want to watch some behind the scenes from the taping of the show?