Winter Dungeness Crab: Fresh and Tasty in Cannon Beach
Dungeness crabbing is underway and Cannon Beach’s Ecola Seafood opens tomorrow, January 14, offering fresh-caught Oregon Dungeness along with other local seafood.
With beach-front suites featuring complete kitchens, Tolovana Inn is a perfect place to stay when you want to prepare and enjoy a local seafood feast while enjoying incredible ocean views.
Sweet, delicate and tasty Oregon Dungessess crab is a winter culinary treat that is both versatile and easy to prepare. It’s in season now, through April. It can be served simply, or elegantly, equally at home on newspaper or china. It’s easy to prepare, too!
Cooked crab can be served chilled or heated in a steamer, broiler or oven for 4-5 minutes. As a featured ingredient in a hot entrée, Dungeness crab meat goes well with pasta, in casseroles and in seafood-based soups.
Served chilled, it’s ideal in a Crab Louis or cocktail-style. Fresh crab is a delicious appetizer, served with a warm melted butter or a tasty dipping sauce, like a blend of mayo and siracha.
To cook a live crab, simply place it in boiling salted water and cook for 18-20 minutes–after the water returns to a boil. The shell will turn a bright orange. Then, immerse the crab in cold water to cool it before cleaning, removing the gills and viscera before serving. Check with your purveyor if you have questions.
Accompanied by an Oregon wine or an ale, fresh Dungeness is just one of the many blessings of the bounty of Oregon.
Ecola Seafoods, located at 2nd and Spruce, in Cannon Beach is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Oregon Dungeness crab generates more than $50 million annually. About 300 commercial crabbing boats dot the Oregon coast each winter.
