Dungeness crab
Dipus inbutterus
1
kilogram

average weight

Lives along the west coast of North America

8

types of crab in Canada

2
years

sustainable age

History

Dungeness crab are most at home in particularly salty water, which is why you find them in the bays and estuaries all along British Columbia's coast. They've been fished since 1885 and are now the most important species of crab fished in the province. Regulations limit the harvest to adult male crabs. All others are left in the water.

Best sustainable option

Dungeness crab caught off the coast of British Columbia.

In Season

janfebmaraprmayjunjulaugsepoctnovdec

Landed

105,241 tonnes

of crab were brought onshore in Canada in 2014.

Did you know?

Sweet and meaty taste.

Taste/Texture

Sweet and meaty taste.

What to look for

If cooked, the meat should be an opaque white and the shell should be bright red. If live, the crab should be active in the tank. Crabs that have a soft shell or are lightweight may have less meat as a result of being harvested too early.

Watch a video on Dungeness crab

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How to cook

Crab cakes with orange aioli

Sweet and flaky crab meat is mixed with fluffy potatoes, fried into crispy cakes and topped with a tangy orange aioli for the best crab cakes you’ve ever tried, guaranteed.

General cooking tips

Though it can be cooked many ways, the simplest and most common way to cook snow crab is to steam it and serve with melted butter. To crack open the legs and claws, a wooden mallet is often used with a knife.

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Meet Chef Spencer Watts

Chef Spencer Watts says cooking is the great love of his life. His father and grandfather were both cod fishermen, so a love of fishing and being on the water runs in his blood. Growing up on the lower mainland of British Columbia, Spencer was inspired by the vast array of fresh local ingredients available.

Spencer is a graduate of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. He quickly progressed through the ranks at The Westin Grand and C restaurant, while training with some of the best local talent in the culinary scene. In 2007 he opened his very own restaurant, ‘Spence on the Coast,’ in Sechelt. Later he started his own local cable cooking show called “Coast Cooking with Spence.”

Spencer is presently enjoying life in Vancouver while working on his cookbook and promoting sustainable seafood.

History

Dungeness crab are most at home in particularly salty water, which is why you find them in the bays and estuaries all along British Columbia's coast. They've been fished since 1885 and are now the most important species of crab fished in the province. Regulations limit the harvest to adult male crabs. All others are left in the water.

Best sustainable option

Dungeness crab caught off the coast of British Columbia.

In Season

janfebmaraprmayjunjulaugsepoctnovdec

Landed

105,241 tonnes

of crab were brought onshore in Canada in 2014.

Did you know?

Sweet and meaty taste.

Taste/Texture

Sweet and meaty taste.

What to look for

If cooked, the meat should be an opaque white and the shell should be bright red. If live, the crab should be active in the tank. Crabs that have a soft shell or are lightweight may have less meat as a result of being harvested too early.