How to Prepare Live Dungeness Crab: Handling, Cooking & Cleaning
Live Dungeness crab requires a different workflow from cooked-and-frozen crab: keep it cool and ventilated, follow the handling instructions supplied with the shipment, cook it promptly, then clean and crack it for serving. Browse current availability in the Dungeness Crab collection.
When Your Live Dungeness Crab Arrives
Inspect the shipment promptly. Keep live crab cool and in breathable packaging, never sealed airtight or submerged in fresh water. Follow the seller's shipment and handling instructions and prepare the crab promptly. If its condition is uncertain on arrival, contact the seller rather than relying on smell or shell color alone.
Before Cooking
Use a pot large enough for the crab and choose either steaming or boiling. Live-seafood handling and humane-dispatch guidance can vary by jurisdiction and current best practice, so follow applicable local guidance rather than relying on one universal method or fixed holding time.
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Cooking Live Dungeness Crab
Cook the crab thoroughly. Time varies with crab size, starting temperature, equipment and method, so avoid treating one fixed minute-per-pound rule as universal. For the broader comparison of cooking methods, see our Dungeness crab cooking guide.
Steaming
Bring the steaming liquid to a strong simmer or boil before adding the crab, keep the crab above the liquid and cover the pot. Begin checking according to the size of the crab and the method you are following.
Boiling
Use enough water for the crab to cook evenly and return the pot to cooking temperature after adding it. Seasoning the water is optional. Follow a reliable recipe or the instructions supplied with your order for the crab size you received.
Cleaning After Cooking
- Let the cooked crab cool enough to handle safely.
- Remove the apron and lift away the top shell.
- Remove the gills and unwanted internal material.
- Separate the body into manageable sections.
- Crack the legs and claws carefully and pick the meat from the body chambers.
Work over a tray or bowl to contain shell fragments and juices. A crab cracker, seafood pick and kitchen shears can make serving easier.
Serving Ideas
Serve freshly cooked Dungeness simply with lemon and melted butter, or use the picked meat in salads, pasta and crab cakes. For a West Coast seafood stew, see our Dungeness Crab Cioppino recipe.
Live vs. Already-Cooked Dungeness
Choose live Dungeness crab when you want to cook the whole crab yourself. Choose whole cooked Dungeness crab for the whole-crab experience without starting live, clusters and legs for shell-on portions, or picked crab meat for recipe convenience.
Storage
For storage before and after cooking, use the dedicated crab storage guide and follow the package or shipment instructions. Storage conditions depend on whether the crab is live, cooked, picked or frozen.
Explore the broader Crab collection and Shellfish collection.
Watch: How to Steam Live Dungeness Crab at Home
For a visual walkthrough of preparing and steaming live Dungeness crab, watch the Global Seafoods video below. Use the handling and cooking guidance on this page as the primary written reference.
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