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This story is published in cooperation with Willamette Week and the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.
Oregon Dungeness crab, our state’s official crustacean, is internationally lauded as a culinary delicacy; its distinctly sweet, succulent flavors are a melt-in-the-mouth hit for chefs and consumers alike.
Oregon Dungeness crab, an integral part of the Northwest’s seafood heritage, has been harvested commercially since the late 1800′s. The journey from ocean to table is hard earned for these eight legged, two clawed critters; newly hatched crabs stay in a larval stage for up to twelve months and survive merciless ocean currents and predators to endure six successive stages before resembling a miniature crab. It takes roughly four years for male crabs to reach legal harvest size (6 ¼” across the shell back), while female crabs are never harvested. Protecting the breeding process is vital to the industry.
Crabs are caught in circular steel traps, commonly called pots, that weigh between 60 and 125 pounds. Each pot has a buoy attached, marked for retrieval. The average boat fishes 200 to 500 pots, and crabs are sorted alive on vessels in circulated seawater until they are delivered to shore-side processing plants.
Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, comprised of eight members appointed by peers, was established in 1977 by the Oregon Legislature as an industry-funded agency and part of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Commission program. The unique assembly of fishermen allows for pooled funds to increase the recognition, value and use for Oregon Dungeness crab. Crystal Adams was recently named Executive Director.
Said Adams, “I am excited to continue in the industry I love and not only grow in this position but keep it going for future generations of seafood lovers for years to come”.
Rachel Plautz, office manager for Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, also recently stepped into a heightened role after 2 ½ years with the commission. She said, “I am grateful for the trust and support the commission has placed in me. The opportunity to continue to personally grow and learn on a daily basis is invaluable.”
The mission of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission is to enhance the image of crab fisheries through promotion, education and research. Of utmost importance is practicing sustainability to ensure a healthy ocean with long-term ecological benefits that help guarantee the hundred-plus year industry is maintained for future generations.
The Oregon Dungeness crab fishery is one of the few remaining state-managed fisheries in the country. The simple harvest system of ‘size, sex, and season’ results in minimal catch mortality. Conservation is forefront, with gear regulations, escape rings for females and undersized males and biodegradable components on lid closures so lost pots in winter storms will release trapped crabs, virtually eliminating ‘ghost fishing.’
Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, in partnership with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, piloted a successful program in 2014 that has been improved upon to date to recover lost gear and reduce the potential for entanglements with protected marine species such as humpback whales. The result is a post-season derelict gear recovery program where recovered crab pots, lost due to heavy storms, drifting debris or vessel traffic, are turned in for money and reimbursed fuel costs. It’s working.
Buying Oregon Dungeness crab supports our local community and economy. Local fishermen work long, tireless hours, risking their lives and leaving their families behind, to deliver fresh Oregon Dungeness crab to consumers’ tables. It’s a profession charged with great difficulty, and fishermen take great pride in delivering fresh, sustainable, and delicious Oregon Dungeness crab to market. By purchasing it locally, consumers get a superior-tasting product.
There is something for everyone when cracking a fresh Oregon Dungeness crab. Crab legs, also known in the industry as ‘fry legs’, offer a firmer texture than body meat and are packed and sold in whole-leg-only portions. Chefs in the Pacific Northwest have garnered a storied reputation for using local bounty in their culinary creations, and nothing lands better on center of plate than Oregon Dungeness crab, which can be found on the menus of our state’s finest restaurants.
There are a variety of ways to enjoy fresh Oregon Dungeness crab: sitting at a newspaper-covered table with a pile of fresh crab and surrounded by drawn butter, crusty bread and lemon wedges is a fan favorite for purists. Chefs feature Oregon Dungeness crab in a variety of ways: in delicate sauces with fresh herbs to enhance pasta dishes, in appetizers or side dishes that earn a ‘wow’ factor, and in the most traditional use, the heralded crab cake.
For a ‘whole crab’ presentation at home, simple ahead-of-time preparations such as cleaning the crabs and preliminarily cracking the legs make it easy for all guests to enjoy the ocean to table experience. Live Oregon Dungeness can be delivered nationwide overnight, and labor-saving picked meat, sold as a mixture of whole and broken leg meat, is available nearly year-round.
Oregon Culinary Ambassador and Oregon Crab Commissioner Chef Leif Benson shares a favorite recipe that is as easy to assemble as it is delicious: Oregon Dungeness Crab Focaccia with Pesto and Gruyere.
For recipe video, visit https://oregondungeness.org/ or click here.
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