Physical characteristics:
The Dungeness Crab takes it's name from a small fishing
town on the Washington Coast. "Dungies" are in the Rock
Crab family. Their shell is a light greenish-brown on back
and turns red when cooked. The underside is a whitish to
light orange. Only males are harvested. They must measure
6 1/4 inches across the back. They usually weigh between
11/2 - 3 # and reach maturity at about 2 years. Harvest
levels were declining the early 1980's, but have rebounded
since 1988. Populations are thought to be highly cyclical.
|
Major
Catch Area: Alaska, Canada, California, Oregon, Washington.
|
Seasonality:
Alaska opens in mid-May and runs until September. Washington
and Oregon ocean season opens December 1st and runs until
August 30 th, although 95% of the production is caught by
the end of February. Canadian season is open year-round,
but produces the majority of their catch during the months
of May, June, September and October. |
Harvest
Method: Dungies are caught in circular baited wire pots
and kept alive until processing. |
| Production
Forms: |
Fresh:
Most commonly sold by retailers as fresh whole cooked crabs,
packed 50# per case. In the last 5 years, a live market
has blossomed along the WestCoast. |
Frozen:
Usually sold as whole cooks graded 1 1/2 - 2#, 2 - 2 1/2#,
2 1/2# up. |
|
Value
added: Dungeness is processed into cleaned sections
for food service application. The average section is 6 to
10 oz. Snap & Eats are single legs that have been scored
through the shell so they can be easily cracked by hand.
Dungeness meat is picked from the shell and sold both fresh
and frozen. Fresh is packed in 1# tubs or 5# cans. Frozen
is packed 6/5# cans per case. |
|
Flavor/Texture
Profile: The meat of the Dungeness crab is sweet and
delicately textured. It will be opaque white with a fresh,
mild, non-fishy aroma. Leg meat will be slightly firmer
than body meat. |
Notes: Dungeness Crab has always been
available East of the Rockies, but it's popularity rises and falls
with overall catch and what the Snow-Crab market is doing. When
the Snow-Crab catch is below average Dungeness zooms to the fore
front. |
|
Nutritional Facts
| Calories |
86 |
|
|
| Fat calories |
9 |
|
|
| Total
fat |
1
g |
|
|
| Saturated
fat |
0.1
g |
|
|
| Cholesterol |
59
mg |
|
|
| Sodium |
295
mg |
|
|
| Potassium |
354
mg |
|
|
| Protein |
17.5
g |
|
|
| Iron |
0.4
mg |
|
|
| Serving
Size |
100g./3.5oz.
(raw) |
|
|
|
