Dungeness crab - What to know, when & where to get it
Photo by Nick Rahaim.
Dungeness crab
(Late Fall-Early Spring)
Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister, or dungies if you’re on the dock, live in nearshore waters from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska south to Point Conception, north of Santa Barbara, California. Occasionally, they are even found as far south as Magdalena Bay in Baja California Sur, Mexico. They get their name from the port of Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, where they were first harvested commercially. Dungeness crabs are caught using pots, which resemble three foot in diameter wire-mesh hockey pucks with two iron weight bars welded to the bottom circular iron frame. The pots can weigh up to 150 pounds — giving deckhands who handle them quite the workout.
For years, Dungeness crab has been one of the most valuable fisheries for California’s seafood industry. But its value goes beyond dollars and cents — it is a cultural icon in California's central and northern coastal communities and is often shared between friends and family for the holidays.
The legs, claws, and shoulder meat of the crab are the prized parts and have a mild, yet slightly sweet and nutty flavor with very tender, yet firm flesh. The minimum size limit for dungies caught in California waters is 6.25 inches across the back of their shells with the largest crabs hitting the market reaching up to 8 inches. Dungeness crab can be cooked in a variety of ways: steamed, boiled, baked, and even grilled (wrapped in foil). They can also be adapted to a number of cuisines, making them a versatile, tasty treat in your kitchen. Make sure to check out the recipes below.
Buying Tips
• Ask for fresh, local Dungeness crab or buy it straight from local fishermen.
• Never buy dead, uncooked crabs or uncooked crab legs. Only purchase live or pre-cooked crabs.
Seafood Illustration courtesy of “Monterey Bay Aquarium®
Dungie Recipes
Easy Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab
(Real Good Fish)
Simple Steamed Dungeness Crab
(Ocean2Table)
Dungeness Crab Cakes
(Real Good Fish)
More about Dungeness crab:
Dungeness crab: life, habitat, and management
Dungeness crab live in seafloor areas with sandy and muddy bottoms or in eelgrass beds, according to California Sea Grant. They live from the intertidal zone to depths of 750 feet but are most abundant at depths above 295 feet. They can live for up to 13 years, but males are often caught at around 4 years old. Mature Dungeness crab molt once a year, typically in summer months, while younger crabs in the first two years of their life can molt as many as seven times a year.
Dungeness crab have a diverse diet and will eat just about anything they can get their claws on, according to California Sea Grant. This includes bivalves and other crustaceans, for which they use their strong claws to chip away and break the shells of other creatures until the flesh can be pulled to their mouths (they have small oral appendages to help pull food from their claws to their mouth). Dungies are prey to seals, sea lions, sea otters, octopuses, some species of fish, and, of course, humans.
Dungeness crab fisheries are managed by state agencies throughout the West Coast, with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife overseeing the fishery here in California. As noted above, Dungeness crab must have a 6.25-inch shell diameter to be kept aboard fishing vessels, and they must also be male without soft shells (meaning a recent molt). Small crab, females, and “softies” are sorted on deck and dropped down to the bottom to resume their undersea lives.
A changing climate drove a spike in whale entanglements during the extreme marine heatwave in the North Pacific from 2014-2016 (aka the Blob), but commercial crab fishermen have been proactive in finding solutions to mitigate any future entanglements through the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group. Monterey Bay fishermen are committed to a whale safe fishery.
Dungeness crab harvested from the Monterey Bay, and throughout the West Coast, are still rated “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
Where & When to Find Dungeness crab
Fresh California Dungeness crab are accessible from late fall through early spring
You can buy Dungeness crab directly from local fishermen off the dock, at local restaurants, grocery stores, and fish markets —check out our Local Catch page for more information, or check out our recipes page for tips on how to store, prepare, and cook Dungeness crab and other seafood.
Want a fun calendar to remind you of what is in season here in Monterey Bay? Download + print our seafood seasonality guide (downloadable pdf).