Late November may mean turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for the rest of the country. But for those of us born in the Bay Area, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a crisp glass of prosecco and a platter of cold, fresh crab. Fortunately, this year's crabbing season starts Tuesday.
We couldn't be more excited for the Central California Coast to open up for crab season. While a price debate between buyers and fisherman is still at large, Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations in San Francisco, told SFGate that he expects a settlement in time for Tuesday's catch. "And these crabs looks great," he said. "It'll be a nice crop this year.
To celebrate the season, Annette Yang at Nettie's Crab Shack sent HuffPost her recipe for the restaurant's famed oven-roasted Dungeness crab, "a specialty of the house and a nice alternative to the traditional steamed crab," according to Yang. On November 21, the restaurant is even hosting a Local Crab Kickoff Dinner.
Get Yang's crab recipe below, and then check out our slideshow for the best spots to celebrate crab season in the Bay Area:
Nettie's Crab Shack's Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab
* start with a live local Dungeness crab (about 2 lbs)
* boil crab in a large stock pot with salted water (make sure the crab is fully submerged in the water) for 14 minutes
* cool and clean the crab
* preheat oven to 450 degrees
* in a large sauce pan, mix 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, zest of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 cup of olive oil
* warm oil mixture over medium heat for about 1 minute
* add the crab
* coat the crab with the oil mix and add the juice of 1/2 lemon
* place saucepan in oven and let roast (uncovered) for about 8-10 minutes
* remove crab and place on serving platter, pouring remaining oil mixture over the top
