How to cook and clean a Dungeness crab

**CHECK OUT MY NEW AND IMPROVED CRAB VIDEO HERE: • How to humanely kill, ... ***
AND... Check out my absolute **favorite sauce** to make for steamed or boiled Dungeness crab -- soy caramel sauce, aka "crack sauce": • Dungeness Crab Legs wi...
In this video, l show you how to cook and clean a Dungeness crab including a technique for 'numbing' them for easier handling. For more information about Good Fish, go to www.goodfishbook.com
Video by Luuvu Hoang.
www.by.luuvu.com
Opening music by Jesse Selengut.

[@BeckySelengutchef]

Thank you for your comment -- I'm sure many will find it helpful. Personally though, I think the meat is better being cooked with the guts in -- as the offal provides great flavor. I've tried both ways. I appreciate your method listed here, for those that would like to try cleaning first.

[@tonytinoco9838]

This was a really great video, very easy to follow and understand. Thank you!

[@BeckySelengutchef]

You're very welcome!

[@terunja7]

LOVE the freezing/numbing tip. I have typically struggled to get that guy into the pot and it's not fun. And, as you say, sad.

[@remoteloop]

I loved the video. You provided very clear instructions without any of the rambling you see with other videos. I really appreciate you sharing this. The only issue-and this is very minor- is the focusing of the camera during scene changes. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not but I found it to be a bit distracting. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@Despara5T]

Best instructional crab cleaning video I've seen yet.

[@TAMPATLBLACK]

imo This is by far the best crab to eat. Blows away King, Blue, Stone etc.

[@danielscallon7515]

I cooked a live dungeness in a crawfish boil mix. Really wish I'd watched this video first!!! I did not do the freezer numbing treatment and that was a rather uncooperative crab. I also did not do the ice water afterward, but he still turned out great. The disassembly was the hardest part. Messy. But all in all, it was a great experience and the crab was delicious. I will be using these techniques for a tidier crab experience.

[@fennis26]

Great demo! We eat a lot of sun Genesis crabs at the holidays so it’s always good to refresh my memory on the easiest ways to get to the meat! Thanks!

[@drewdraper8664]

Thank you so much. Usually when you watch KZbin videos to learn how to do something for the first time we watch multiple videos for multiple methods and techniques. I feel no need to watch any other video after watching this one. It was very clear and I feel ready to hop in the kitchen and cook and clean my crab from start to finish.

[@erdvilla]

Eating crab is similar to eating pistacchios; working to get the edible goodness out of the shell makes them more delicious.

[@ejsgarage]

I love your video presentation. I love to cook & bought a dungeness crab & cooked it myself once out of curiosity. You are right, the crab looked huge & scary but it was delicious & full of meat. Thank you! 👍😀

[@jefura19]

I literally watched this and prepared family of four crabs. Major help thank you my family flipped on how well prepared the meal was!

[@Songdaddy]

I like that technical measurement term for the amount of salt. "A sheesh load."

[@IlHansenIl]

Good video but very rough camera work :S

[@rippleecho]

Interesting, Chinese clean it similarly but we are big on eating the "butter", for females their eggs, for males, well, their eggs, too. The butter is as important as the meat.

[@ludde1300]

Same in sweden

[@jedimaster8691]

Dungeness crab is the best in the world! It has risen dramatically in price, now that the Asian market has been trying to buy up all the crab. I remember 10 years ago it was 2.99 lb. Now it is $8 to $10 lb. !!

[@nouadhiboufishingforce8911]

This is the coolest channel I've ever subscribed to, I love you please keep it up

[@BeckySelengutchef]

I see your point and agree to some extent, however, as a serious professional and one who was trained at one of the best restaurants in the world, I can also say that many of us take the step of rinsing the cavity, giving up a very small amount of flavor in favor of crab meat that isn't coated with gunk. I should have mentioned in my video, to your point, that for casual eating, better not to rinse.

[@mlumitap]

i eat everything inside that crab, it's yummy! we cooked it with coconut milk,long beans and pumpkin with chilli!...😋😋😋oopps! my saliva is running down from my mouth,i gotta go and cook for my lunch🍴🍴thanks for this video...and you kind a cute chef btw😉😍😍

[@Roberturban78]

I never made it before and followed your video step by step and it came out great. Thanks so much!!

[@melissy81]

Wow now I'm craving some Dungeness crab. We just made some the other week. But we add a little vinegar in the water with some salt, garlic and onions. It was pretty yummy!.... The vinegar helps soften the shell out and its a whole lot easier break into the shell and get the meat out. But the best part of the crab is the body (shell with the guts) with some butter & garlic over white rice. Yummy!!!

[@BlakeQuinton]

Love the video. Great job love the commentary. Confident in my next crab cook

[@multi150nyc]

3:10 - 3:15 Wow that Dungeness crab gave me a serious SNES Contra 3: (The Alien Wars) flashback. It appears as if it could be an end of level villain-boss the way its posed there. Nice informative video.

[@BeckySelengutchef]

The timing would be different for different crab --- blue crab from the east coast take half the time, even less. Cleaning is fairly similar -- though when I lived back east I often ate the molting blue crab whole, no cleaning required!

[@AnotherAmateur]

When the local fish stores cook the crab they pop live ones in a huge boiling pot -- guts and all. When you buy a crab they will clean and crack it for you. I turn some of the crab into a delicious crab mousse appetizer. Hope you'll take a look sometime. Thanks for uploading this very informative video!

[@curtislambert8752]

I watched your Video Great video informative and it's better than most others especially how You cleaned or broke down the crab...Question: Do you or have made a sauce with the brine ?

[@BeckySelengutchef]

I have an update crab cooking video on my site too -- check that out. When I used to cook by boiling (I don't any longer) there was too much salt in there for me to do much with it, but I would cook pasta in it!

[@iversonjcameron]

Thank you....i was i nazare portugal trying to eat this type of crab before i bothered to see your vid....excellent!!!!!

[@kelinunu4973]

Your video was GREAT! My husband and I prepared a beautiful and delicious crab for dinner thanks to your tutorial.

[@Rehdman6444]

Best video I have seen about this subject. Thanks.

[@mumzly1]

I always called the "butter" the crab mustard. I never heard it called butter but cool to learn something new.

[@stidanna]

This video is awesome! Great practical tips. And numbing the crabs in the freezer before cooking them was such a more humane way to go. They didn't even scream. The salt and the ice water are so key! Thank you for making this great video. This was the best crab I've ever eaten :)

[@MrWinky3200]

Awesome.! Very helpful, I live in Oakland California and have been crabbing with friends in the San Francisco Bay (under the golden gate bridge) & have never known how to cook and clean them. Thanks again.!

[@clarayau3]

yeah i clean first then cook so i dont have to taste the guts...and i also dont have to wait for it to cool down completely

[@HankHuckle]

I love that you demonstrate the whole process, from live crab to cracking. I'm ready for crab season to come back!

[@Snowleopaard]

Just happened upon the video. I've been cooking, cleaning and eating crab for years but I like YOUR way of breaking off the legs. My way is more tedious because I keep the lumpmeat all together. I think you just saved me some time. Thanks!

[@zaurike]

This was a great learning experience. Thank you.

[@BeckySelengutchef]

The crab butter is delicious - my intention was not to say it wasn't - however, as I did say in the video, it is not something I personally eat all the time as that is where the toxins congregate in a crab -- they are scavengers, after all. As for the 'method' you refer to, I'm confused. I cook crab for friends and family and throw it out on a newspaper lined table and we get down and dirty with the meal. The crab is never bland. Unless you are catching it yourself, Dungies are not cheap.

[@milowolfface9392]

Sometimes they grab onto the pot, which is sad. I love her. Shes awesome.

[@naptoniusmonk869]

Becky, I've learned so much from watching your videos. It has really helped to improve my cooking. Thank you!

[@dannyvasquezrodriguez]

Awesome video! I'm envious of your kitchen. I like that you're detailed and nonchalant in explaining the process.

[@56bluegold]

Good information. Thanks for the video.

[@BeckySelengutchef]

Glad it was helpful!

[@scottpitner4298]

Interesting about skating the water. Like drinking distilled water isn’t very good because it will draw important minerals from your body’s existing water to achieve an equilibrium. As you described it would pull the salt in a similar process, didn’t really realize that

[@scottpitner4298]

lol salting *

[@pukalo]

when you pulled the leg part out at 6:08 it's much easier to get the meat out by snapping the big portion in half rather than cracking it and peeling the shell apart

[@MrEleazarD]

VERY NICE INTRO MUSIC...i wish more video uploaders have the same taste of music you know

[@OriginalTrapstar]

why so many dislikes? great vid

[@yurisims1798]

Some people don't like that she put the live crab in boiling water. In the update to this video, she shows you how to instantly kill a crab before cooking.

[@OriginalTrapstar]

Oh ok i see. Thanks

[@KSembroiderydesigns]

I think most of them disliked, because of very bad camera use. It was give me a headache, hope next time they will be more careful, or ask somebody else to make it! Otherwise it would be a really great video.

[@bubejunkie]

I couldn't imagine paying a lot of money for a pre cracked crab. the food experience is in the mess of eating. plus, the crab butter is where the flavor is. saute a few seconds then place over rice. heaven. I'm no chef but i can assume this method yields the most expensive bland dinner ever. my respects to the chef but this is how rich people eat dungeness. get down and dirty with a bib and enjoy. Crab is blue collar food. Eat it as such.

[@irenelumangyao9181]

The best way to cook crab is to steam it, not by boiling it... the natural flavors goes away once boiled....

[@gigidetroit]

Thx for this video. i'm making seafood gumbo. i love the flavor of dungeness crab but didn't know how to clean it.

[@kellyhampton2454]

Great Video...I was always intimidated in buying them as I wasn't sure how to clean them. I'm not anymore! Thanks again!

[@warmachine615]

Can this method, cook and clean a crab, apply to any particular crab, or does it just apply to the Dungeness crab.

[@michaeldery2283]

Thank you for the great vid. Water boiling away I go.:)

[@piuskid]

Great video. Got some crab today from the docs in Half Moon Bay, CA and followed your directions to make some tasty crab!

[@epieorchid]

Very informative also made me hungry nom nom!:) goes great with vietnamese chili ginger sauce! Cheers

[@williamgodin1110]

Very good content!

[@BeckySelengutchef]

Glad you think so!

[@16mmDJ]

I love seeing this. Our family and friends would go to Lopez Island in Washington just to go catch crabs and cook them on the beach. Cool stuff.

[@BossLadyWhite]

Thanks for this video-I've never tried to cook Dungeness just because I didn't know how to and thought it'd be too much work. Subbed,liked and of course, commented! Great job.

[@BeckySelengutchef]

For more even cooking, I'd cook them in batches of 3-4. Especially if you've put them in the freezer first, so many cold crab in a pot will change the cooking time. Use the biggest pot you have and batch it out.

[@RubiPearl6968]

Very informative thank you

[@Prestostark]

I totally agree. I always clean 'em first, then cook em. Much sweeter and cleaner that way, at least in my opinion. There are of course, people who want to see the whole crab on their plate for appearances. So, for them, I guess only a whole crab will do!

[@seanbravo306214]

Just wanna say awesome video

[@Roberto-qw4bo]

Instructions not clear: Got the crab stuck in the lawnmower. jk nice video lol

[@719sikora]

Are the shells still good to make stock????

[@Mrkevi123]

For sure. They still have lots of flavor in them. This what they use to flavor imitation crab meat

[@kyddvi3t858]

nice and simple! thumbs up! some people like that yellow material inside the body of the crab, so I like to preserve that after steaming the crab.

[@Anna-zg9dm]

Just out of curiosity, are the gills uneatable?

[@BeckySelengutchef]

+arianna nustad yes -- although I can bet some folks can find a way if they were hungry enough. They have the texture of a cat's tongue and are feathery.

[@karmacanquints4222]

I don't eat that part...it's their filter.

[@yurisims1798]

I like how specific this is. "Texture of a cat's tongue."

[@mirakihana6455]

arianna nustad I wouldn't eat them. We call them dead man's fingers over here :)

[@caseyburns2538]

When picking up the crab you should have your thumb on its apron and four fingers on top of shell. i use to do it the way in the video but crab got me

[@BeckySelengutchef]

you are most welcome!

[@tatiana4618]

I work at a pet store and keep saltwater fish for a living and one of my regulars breeds crabs and gave me one today and I'm completely petrified to crack it open and clean it after cooking it (it seems so wrong and gross to me lol) but eating crab sounds like it'd be delicious, any tips on cleaning it without having to actually touch it with your hands? I'm a big baby about it and would probably freak out

[@AhJustTableWrench]

Great video!

[@centralcal6604]

thanks for the helpful video

[@musicheadt]

nice tutorial......well done.

[@Picachki]

It's more humane to kill it before boiling it. You have some good tips in here, such as putting the crab in the freezer to numb it into hibernation mode. That way it is subdued and easy to work with. However, I believe in giving every living thing the respect it deserves, even in its demise. As quick and as painless as possible is the best route. Boiling something alive sounds very slow, painful, and torturous.

[@devanthony9467]

This basically how every chef kills a crab by submerging it in boiling water because it dies almost instantly

[@jackyuan1056]

FYI (In my humble perception of course), the crab was dead due to 30min in the Freezer. either that, or they are incapacitated. If you were using human terms such as a "quick and painless death", it would be like making you unconcious/comatose, then boiling it alive.

[@jamesdooling4139]

You can also put a heavy-duty larding needle into the crab's head between, above and behind the head's carapace plate separating the eye-stalks. It remains debatable if the crab is actually dead or more likely paralyzed from the partial lobotomy. This shell penetration, however, allows cooking water into the crab during boiling and changes both the cooking time and the doneness of the meat and tomale inside. It's how squeamish or guilty shellfish boilers come to terms with the idea of killing something to eat it.

[@Dreadp1r4te]

+Picachki While I agree with your sentiment, it's important to realize that crab meat begins to go bad very quickly after death, and toxins that are normally in the gills and butter will rapidly seep back into the meat, making it inedible. While it may be more humane to kill it first, it's safer for human consumption to boil it alive.

[@briannaharter4411]

boiling a crab alive doesn't hurt them and they pretty much die instantly.crabs and invertebrates can't feel pain from heat like animals with a spine.however cutting them actually does hurt them a lot cause they can feel pain from mechanical stimuli.

[@patbrown2227]

Howdy, Thank you for a very simple method to enjoy our bounty from the Pacific! Best Regards, Pat

[@bethcollins2183]

Great video and demonstration! Loved watching it.

[@bgnyc1]

Good video. Would you recommend using a seasoning like Old Bay vs just plain salt?

[@taisui]

nice video, i saw your trout video yesterday, which is also great. need some work on the camera focus though...

[@One_Branch_At_a_Time]

So to some it up, salt water to boil. 7 minutes per 1 lb, remember cleaning the crab and don’t eat the toxin portion. Thank you!

[@jamesdooling4139]

This gal's videos are excellent. She needs a Khoo-like hook, a better crew and someone to pay for a 12-episode series. Her instincts for what needs to be explained and what doesn't make her a natural instructor. Her cute, authentic persona only adds to her marketability. Put her in kooky kitchens a la Two Fat Ladies and let her shop locally for ingredients. I'd watch; and I really hate most people who cook on film.

[@tuesdaysbeautybar1039]

how are the females gonna reproduce when we eating all the males?? by the way i love the video helps me a ton! X3

[@TheLolstyle]

tuesday Anderson Because it takes one male to fertilize hundreds of females. The other way around: one female can't fertilize hundreds of males. Thus, fishing males doesn't affect the crab population as badly as fishing out all the females.

[@wario69]

awesome video! thanks.

[@shadowpapito]

Thank you ....

[@torentine]

Thank you we had a great dinner thanks to your great video

[@LolaSweetheart]

Very similar to cleaning, cooking and separating a brown crab that we have in the North Sea here. Very informative, thanks!

[@birdinmotion1525]

I was just wondering could you use ocean water? I mean straight from the beach untampered?

[@BeckySelengutchef]

yes you can!

[@derekharris4922]

Thank you for the wonderful presentation.

[@RobCardIV]

ty

[@BeckySelengutchef]

yw

[@84gharness]

Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

[@MellowMellowDude]

Very professional! Thanks :D

[@mattmcclain8796]

Finally got the chance to do this myself. I ended up steaming them instead of boiling. took about 15 minutes

[@ablanquart]

As a newcomer to the PNW, I love all your cooking videos! One thing I have to suggest though (and I've had it both ways), is cleaning the crab before cooking. In my opinion, it has a much "cleaner" taste.

[@terunja7]

+Adam Blanquart In that case, how do you kill it? This doesn't make sense to me, cleaning a live crab.

[@thehonorablejiveturkeyspoo6370]

Got it!!

[@sprklhair]

Great video! thanks for all the tips

[@drak1379]

While you provided some good info on cooking the crab, the way you grab the crab your fingers could get pinched. I band dungeoness crab, about 5000lbs a day, I have tried the way you grab crab and got pinched many times. If you grab the crab with your thumb on the apron instead you can not only see where the crab pinchers are but also when it will attempt to pinch you. I must say however grabbing the crab when it is in a chilled state the chances are almost 0% of being pinched.

[@phongon1443]

+Deadly Kaos should you wash the meat i would of thought it would dull the flavour?

[@raincoastraven]

Great, intelligent how-to with some interesting contextual info.

[@amareyonmiller5609]

good vid

[@waveriderz]

nice..and thanks!

[@SantoMuerte187]

Awesome thank you Becky, I know what I'm making for date night

[@BeckySelengutchef]

Thanks for your comment. I may be changing my tune over to your way of thinking. In fine dining we always shocked the crab in ice water to make sure that the meat was perfectly cooked, much like you would blanch and shock vegetables. But I can also see your point. The best way to tell would be to test the two methods side by side and see if there is any flavor loss in the meat from the shocking process. Let me know if you try this test. I may, myself.

[@plm3d]

It's better to steam it. Boiling it in salt water will soften the meat and you will still lose the flavor or just make it salty.

[@ellec.2242]

true

[@alexzanderbradley4909]

why dose the shell turn red/orange

[@ceek5548]

Just a SHEEEEESHHHH load 😂

[@BeckySelengutchef]

I say that many times a day. It's fun!