Feeling Crabby Yesterday

[Jim_C]

We are staying on the coast this week. Since the whales are pretty much gone and whales getting entangled in ropes has decreased, the crab season finally opened. So we headed to Princeton Harbor, here in Half Moon Bay, to buy live Dungeness crab straight from the boat.

We bought three crab, a total of 7.2 pounds, at $10 a pound. A little over 2 pounds per crab.

Started up the pot. It took 45 minutes for the water to come to a boil on the electric cook top.

No salt in the water. Crabs have plenty of salt water inside them. I was told as a young 6-7 year old boy, by a fisherman, to add white vinegar to the water until you smell it in the steam. It'll sweeten the crab meat and help it separate from the shell. It could be an old wives tail, but I've always done it that way.

No need for a timer, the crab will float back side up when it's done (no pic). Out they come.....................

Plating was simple.....................

 

[kilo charlie]

Heck yeah! Those look amazing!
45 min for that pot to boil is crazy though.

 

[sandyut]

looks so good! Takes me back to my childhood growin up Cali, hitting the warf for crabs and sourdough.

 

[ajbert]

This is what I miss about living on the gulf coast for 10+ years when I was in the Navy...FRESH seafood! Blue crab, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and fish. Now we try to make it down once a year or two and always bring back lump crab and Cajun sausage.

Great job with those crabs. A buddy of mine and I would go out in Pugent Sound when we were stationed in WA and fish for Dungeness and Rock crabs. Miss those days, too.

 

[mneeley490]

This is what I miss about living on the gulf coast for 10+ years when I was in the Navy...FRESH seafood! Blue crab, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and fish. Now we try to make it down once a year or two and always bring back lump crab and Cajun sausage.

Great job with those crabs. A buddy of mine and I would go out in Pugent Sound when we were stationed in WA and fish for Dungeness and Rock crabs. Miss those days, too.

Where were you stationed? Bremerton, Everett, Whidbey?

 

[ajbert]

Where were you stationed? Bremerton, Everett, Whidbey?

Lived in Everett but stationed in Seattle at the Naval Reserve Center that used to be on Lake Union. I think that was the name of the lake. Loved catching smallmouth bass out of it during lunch.

 

[chopsaw]

Looks good . I don't eat like that much , or at all really . Mostly because I have no idea how to cook it . Love the flavor of crab though .
Nice work .

It took 45 minutes for the water to come to a boil on the electric cook top.

If you added the vinegar to the pot before the boil , that could be a reason .
I always bring the water to a boil first , then add salt or whatever .

 

[Jim_C]

Looks good . I don't eat like that much , or at all really . Mostly because I have no idea how to cook it . Love the flavor of crab though .
Nice work .


If you added the vinegar to the pot before the boil , that could be a reason .
I always bring the water to a boil first , then add salt or whatever .

Vinegar is added after the water is boiling. It's the only way I can determine the amount to add based on the steam/smell test.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Excellent. The last time we were in Eugene OR to see friends we went crabbing, caught several and cooked them fresh. Those dungeness are sweet and so delicious. Nice work on those.

 

[Fueling Around]

Dungeness is the king of crab in my book. Wow $10 a pound off the boat is sticker shock compared to the days when I used to go crabbing with a family and we harvested about 400 in a weekend.

They say not to use it, but hot tap water in the pot reduces the boil time on those POS radiant cook tops. The boiling water kills any potential pathogens.
Tricks I learned is to use pickling spice in the water for flavor and split the crab shell (live) to remove the guts and gills before cooking.

 

[912smoker]

We don't eat crab very often and have never had it that fresh Jim.
Gotta be great!

Keith

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Now thats a score! Love crab.

 

[sawhorseray]

THIS BRINGS BACK A LOT OF FOND MEMORIES JIM! I USED TO CRAB OUT OF HMB PILLAR POINT HARBOR IN MY 22' PROLINE AND HAVE MY LANCE CABOVER CAMPER PARKED RIGHT IN THE LOT. BOILED THE CRAB IN A HUGE POT THAT'D DO 15 AT A TIME, ALWAYS USED FRESH WATER AND WOULD DUMP ONE CAN OF 7-UP INTO THE BOILING WATER RIGHT BEFORE THE DUNGEES WENT IN, WHY WE STARTED DOING THAT I CAN'T RECALL, SOMETHING MY FISHING BUDDY HAD HEARD ABOUT. I'D BOIL FOR 18 MINUTES THEN WE'D DUMP THE CRAB OUT ON THE ASPHALT TO COOL FOR PICKIN'. STANDARD KEEPER DUNGEE YEILDS ABOUT A HALF POUND OF PICKED CRAB MEAT, MADE A LOT OF CRAB ENCHILADAS IN MY CAMPER OVEN, GOOD STUFF.

WITH ALL THE SHUTDOWNS AND REGS FISHING IN CA GOT TO BE NOTHING BUT A PAIN IN THE ASS. THE LAST DECADE EIGHT OF US GO UP TO OREGON FOR TWO WEEKS THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER FOR CRAB AND SALMON, LOAD UP, GREAT TIME, NO TICKETS! I MISS OCEAN FISHING BUT I DON'T MISS CA. RAY

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

My kind of meal, looks darned tasty! Hard to beat fresh off the boat crab. Very nicely done!

 

[Jim_C]

THIS BRINGS BACK A LOT OF FOND MEMORIES JIM! I USED TO CRAB OUT OF HMB PILLAR POINT HARBOR IN MY 22' PROLINE AND HAVE MY LANCE CABOVER CAMPER PARKED RIGHT IN THE LOT. BOILED THE CRAB IN A HUGE POT THAT'D DO 15 AT A TIME, ALWAYS USED FRESH WATER AND WOULD DUMP ONE CAN OF 7-UP INTO THE BOILING WATER RIGHT BEFORE THE DUNGEES WENT IN, WHY WE STARTED DOING THAT I CAN'T RECALL, SOMETHING MY FISHING BUDDY HAD HEARD ABOUT. I'D BOIL FOR 18 MINUTES THEN WE'D DUMP THE CRAB OUT ON THE ASPHALT TO COOL FOR PICKIN'. STANDARD KEEPER DUNGEE YEILDS ABOUT A HALF POUND OF PICKED CRAB MEAT, MADE A LOT OF CRAB ENCHILADAS IN MY CAMPER OVEN, GOOD STUFF.

WITH ALL THE SHUTDOWNS AND REGS FISHING IN CA GOT TO BE NOTHING BUT A PAIN IN THE ASS. THE LAST DECADE EIGHT OF US GO UP TO OREGON FOR TWO WEEKS THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER FOR CRAB AND SALMON, LOAD UP, GREAT TIME, NO TICKETS! I MISS OCEAN FISHING BUT I DON'T MISS CA. RAY

We enjoy going down to Princeton Harbor. It's a beautiful harbor. The fishing bunch are a lot of good folks, albeit most are a bit off their rocker. I can't see why anyone would try to make a living doing commercial fishing. No salmon, and two months of crab. Sable, rock cod, and halibut are about what's left. For those who want to head 50-100 miles out in July-August they may yield tuna.

Katch Joanne's, the fisherman's bar that happen to serve food was sold. The new owners dropped Joanne from the name, modernized the place, and put in an outdoor wine bar. Ruined it in my opinion. Portions are small, prices are high, but they sell the view. Same with Sam's Chowder House down the road. Foods average, prices are high, view is great.

I hear a lot about the issues with the rules and regulations in California. I agree there are a lot of things we used to do that we cannot do anymore. As an old retired guy I'm not trying to make a living and am not impacted by many of them, except the stupid Spare The Air days where they're trying to save everybody's lungs by preventing folks from using their fireplaces. In fact.....to sell your home in the greater bay area you have to remove wood burning fireplaces. They can be repurposed with gas, but it's not the same. Thankfully, cooking food is exempt from the Spare The Air ban on fires. I ramp up the smoker and the grill on those days. I want everyone in the neighborhood to know I'm cooking.

 

[sawhorseray]

HAVING BREAKFAST AT KETCH JOANNE'S WAS STANDARD PROCEDURE AFTER DRIVING OVER FROM REDWWOD CITY TO FIND THE OCEAN WAS TOO ROUGH TO GET OUT. GET A COUPLE OF NICE DRINKS IN THERE TOO! GET ANY GEAR NEEDED AT BILL AND PEGGY BECKETT'S HUCK FINN FISHING SHOP, WENT OUT ON THE RED BARON A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE I GOT MY PROLINE. USED TO GO OUT TO THE FARALLONES ON THE LOVELY MARTHA FOR ROCKFISH IN THE EARLY 70'S, COME HOME WITH HUNDRED POUND SACKS. DIFFERENT DAYS, DIFFERENT LIFE BACK THEN FOR SURE. USED TO BE THE SALMON LIMIT WAS THREE, THEN TWO, GOT RID OF MY PROLINE WHEN IT WENT DOWN TO ONE, NOW IT'S ABOUT NONE. HAVE A BUDDY THAT USED TO BERTH HIS 27' GRADY WHITE AT MOSS LANDING. HASN'T BEEN WET FOR THREE YEARS NOW THANKS TO JULIE PACKARD AND ALL THE REGS, HE CAN'T EVEN SELL THE DAMMED THE THING. CA WAS A GREAT PLACE TO GROW UP, LEARN TO FISH AND HUNT, MAKE A DECENT LIVING WORKING CONSTRUCTION. NOT SO MUCH NOW, SOMEHOW IT ALL WENT DOWN THE TOILET. RAY