Dungeness crab season begins in the Bay Area

I’m pretty excited! Might be time to do a crab feast at Yum’s…

2 Likes

That’s awesome. I was worried that high levels of Domoic acid might be a permanent effect of global warming, but they are apparently down from last year.

domo

Yes yes yes!

What’s everyone’s favorite crab preparation?

Are the crabs in the stores yet?

Hudson Fish, which sells at Berkeley farmers’ markets, has them at $8.95/lb. They won’t have any at today’s market in North Berkeley, but should have some at El Cerrito plaza on Saturday, pre-order only, and they’ll also have them for pick-up during the days before Thanksgiving. Phone 510-528-8686, or email mike@hudsonfish.com.

(I’m not affiliated with Hudson Fish, just a many-years-long happy customer and neighbor–they live around the corner from me)

I just called- 99 in Mountain View doesn’t have them yet.

This piece contains some info on when the markets are expecting their crab:

Monterey Fish in Berkeley has some, $8.99 for cooked and I forgot to ask about live.

1 Like

I’m going to lean heavily towards Cantonese style cooking for crab, but I’ve always liked ginger and scallions. For a more clean style, just steamed with some vermicelli on the bottom with some ginger and scallions are nice. If I want more flavorful, probably typhoon shelter style crab. There’s also a great rendition at Yum’s Bistro on their steamed crab with glutinous rice. If we’re going across the word, I liked the steamed flowerly crab with chicken fat and huadiao wine (Chariman and Tasting Court).

2 Likes

Cantonese salt-and-pepper for me, and also a Cantonese preparation that uses egg. I also like to make picked-crab into very simple fritters, with cornmeal and egg.

Do you make that steamed crab over glutinous rice at home also?

I am boring (and I have a stove with low BTU) so I just boil the crab at home and leave all the more involved prep to the professionals. :blush: unless @Night07 tells me how to steam the crab over rice properly at home. Then I may actually go out to get a steamer and give it a try.

Is there an emoji for salivating? :crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab::crab:

1 Like

You mean crab with scrambled egg white (賽螃蟹)?

No, crab served with an egg-thickened sauce, kind of like this (but I don’t recall black beans):

Saigon Harbor in Richmond has a great version of this.

The “lobster Cantonese” that we know from across the decades is flavored with a paste of black beans pounded with garlic and ginger that is sauteed in the fat of ground pork first rendered in the wok.

Picked crab on thin pasta (spaghetti is good) with butter, lemon , parsley, and buttered bread crumbs.

2 Likes

I will be back in Santa Cruz in a couple weeks. My favorite way . I go to the harbor get a couple live crabs go home and steam them. Put a bib on, open a beer, stand over the kitchen sink crack and eat them. No Frills straight and narrow…

3 Likes

Ha! I am not that skilled. I know my aunt makes glutinous rice, but that appeared to be a very time intensive process.

I like owning and reading cookbooks but can’t say I am a very good chef lol. In any case, I can’t recall ever seeing English instructions on steaming crab with glutinous rice in any recent new ones, and I don’t recall seeing that exact prep in any of the Hong Kong bookstores.

Oh, and I just remembered. Love the cioppino at Sotto Mare, that crab adds a nice sweet touch to the dish.

I don’t think its overly difficult, but I am guessing the glutinous rice may have to be partially cooked before its steamed with the crab, so the timing has to be spot on to get rice texture that tastes just right.

Cupertino Marina $6.99/lb

1 Like