Sep 10 2026
Restaurants›Crabby Bill's in St. Pete Beach›Dungeness Crab Recipe

Dungeness Crab Recipe

Inspired by Crabby Bill's in St. Pete Beach
Time50m
Serves4

wild Dungeness crab

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Ingredients

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Crab

Cooking liquid & seasoning

Finish & service

Tools

Method

Crab

  1. 1

    Prepare live crab

    If crabs are live, keep them chilled until ready to cook. Rinse each crab under cold running water to remove debris. Optionally, immobilize humanely by placing in the freezer for 10–15 minutes prior to cooking.

  2. 2

    Optional cleaning before cooking

    Using tongs, flip the crab onto its back, lift the triangular apron (abdomen flap) and remove it, then remove the top shell (carapace) and rinse out the gills and guts under running water. This step is optional; many cooks simply boil whole live crabs intact.

Cooking liquid & seasoning

  1. 3

    Bring seasoned water to a boil

    In a large stock pot, combine water, coarse sea salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and the juice of one lemon (reserve the other lemon for serving). Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

  2. 4

    Cook the crabs

    Once water is at a vigorous boil, grasp each crab with tongs (belly side down) and quickly lower into the pot. Cover and return to a boil. Cook 12–15 minutes for 2–3 lb Dungeness crabs (12 minutes for 1.5–2 lb; 15 minutes for 2.5–3 lb). Start timing when water returns to a full boil. Do not overcrowd — cook in batches if needed.

  3. 5

    Shock and rest

    When cooking time is complete, remove crabs with tongs or a strainer and transfer to a large bowl. Optionally, plunge briefly into an ice bath (30–60 seconds) to stop cooking and make handling easier. Let rest 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

Finish & service

  1. 6

    Make garlic butter

    While crabs rest, melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add minced garlic and cook gently 1–2 minutes until fragrant (do not brown). Stir in chopped parsley and the remaining lemon juice. Season with a pinch of Old Bay or seafood seasoning if desired.

  2. 7

    Crack and serve

    Using kitchen shears or crab crackers, split each crab in half or crack the legs and claws to expose meat. Arrange crab pieces on a platter, drizzle some garlic butter over the meat and serve the remaining butter warm in a small bowl for dipping. Provide lemon wedges on the side.

  3. 8

    Tips

    Serve with crusty bread or steamed potatoes to soak up juices. Leftover crab meat can be picked from shells and refrigerated up to 2 days; reserve any picked meat and keep chilled.

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