Photos: Pacific Seafood
farm to table
Farm to Table
Cracking Good Meals Dungeness delicacies come out of their shells written by Corinne Whiting
Dungeness crab can be eaten with just butter and lemon, or in complicated recipes.
SOME MIGHT ARGUE—if you haven’t feasted on Dungeness crab, you haven’t visited the Pacific Northwest at all. Depending on whom you speak to, the delightful delicacy (a hard-shelled, six-legged crustacean found in chilly waters off North America’s west coast) should be enjoyed in a specific way. The general consensus, however, is that this food item— named after a small fishing village in Washington—should never be overlooked. And according to local restaurants’ menus, thankfully, it rarely is. “Dungeness is quite versatile. If I’m at home, I snack on it cold. Crack at it, with some cocktail sauce and salt-and-pepper potato chips,” chef Carolynn Spence of Seattle’s Shaker + Spear, explained. “At the restaurant, we constantly change it up.” The number one brunch seller at the bustling downtown venue? The Dungeness crab cake benedict with ham and avocado. 22 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018
Dan Obradovich, processing sales manager of Pacific Seafood, said while his mom makes a mean Crab Louie, he takes a simpler approach in order to truly savor the “rich, distinctive flavors.” “From a purist standpoint, there’s something about sitting down and cracking the shell that makes it more of an event,” he said. At home, Obradovich prefers it straight out of the shell, accompanied by melted butter with garlic and a little sautéed onion—and enjoyed alongside bread and a glass of wine. Chef Paul Duncan of Ray’s Boathouse enjoys preparation methods from French court bouillon to Tom Ka-style. The Dungeness crab is so revered in this corner of the country that every October, thousands of hungry visitors convene in Port Angeles to enjoy up to 8 tons of fresh-caught crab. Last year, around 15,000 folks came from twenty-eight states and Canada to enjoy the delicacy. This year, the Olympic Peninsula’s
