Dungeness Crab: A Deliciously Sustainable Crustacean

These crabs thrive in eelgrass beds and sandy bottoms along the Pacific Northwest, including Washington State, Oregon, California, and Alaska. They’re named after Dungeness Spit in Washington.

Dungeness crabs prefer shallow waters and can be found at depths of up to 755 feet (230 meters).

Unlike the red rock crab, the Dungeness has a broad, oval carapace, usually 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) wide.

Legal size for harvesting is typically set at 16.5 centimeters (6.5 inches). Male crabs are the only ones you can legally catch; harvesting a female crab is prohibited to preserve the population.

Males have a narrow apron (the shape on the underside), while female crabs have a wider one.

After hatching, Dungeness crabs pass through five zoeal larval stages and one megalopa stage before entering their first juvenile stage, eventually reaching sexual maturity in two to three years.

Crabs grow by molting, shedding their old shell to form a new one. Average crab weight can vary, but a market-size Dungeness typically weighs around 0.7 to 1.4 kilograms (1.5 to 3 pounds).

To cook an entire crab, rinse off any sand, then boil it for 15 to 20 minutes (exact cooking time will depend on size). Once done, clean out the guts, gills, and any worms.

The meat from the claws, legs, and body is sweet and versatile. Serve it with butter, toss it in pasta sauce, or feature it in rich recipes with clams and other bivalves.

The Dungeness crab fishery is vital to local economies and is carefully managed to prevent overharvesting. However, environmental changes like ocean acidification threaten larval survival.

Still, this species remains a cornerstone of West Coast seafood and a must-try for seafood lovers.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.