What’s good and when? One of the most universal challenges of cooking is finding ingredients that are in season, and keeping recipes fresh and interesting throughout that season. This is, of course, easier in the spring and summer months but fall and winter also provide wonderful offerings, it just takes a little more digging to find them.
Today’s post features one thing that truly shines in wintertime: San Francisco Dungeness Crab. A Bay Area staple, this meaty, sweet and succulent crustacean has a cult following, not just from San Franciscans but all along the Pacific Northwest, where it’s caught. Dungeness are only available for a short time, typically the season begins in mid November and while it officially goes until June, I can’t recall in my 27 years ever having Dungeness past February. The possible reason for this being that around this time, crab begins to arrive in stores from Alaska, and not caught locally. Paired with white wine, artichoke (another fabulous winter item), and some Sourdough bread, it’s a classic San Francisco meal!
Everyone has their own sauce that they enjoy Dungeness with. We always stay simple with 1 part Dijon Mustard and 2 parts Mayonnaise. It’s nice and tangy ,and balances the sweetness of the crab beautifully. What’s your favorite sauce to pair with Dungeness?
A favorite food memory: My family are such insane Dungeness Crab lovers that while we were living in Australia back in the early 2000’s, our neighbor knew we’d be going through some serious withdrawal. He actually shipped us a box of Dungeness Crab (who knew you could do that?!) and we enjoyed a taste of home 8000 miles away. We’re still wondering how we can possibly repay this incredible act of awesome!