While commercial fishermen were allowed to head out in search of Dungeness crab over the weekend, it may take a few days for these delectable crustaceans to reach Sonoma Valley markets. (And that’s assuming dockside prices are nailed down quickly.)
The forecast is for a light harvest compared to those in recent years. Based on the low number of young crabs seen last season and on anecdotal evidence from recreational crabbers, whose season began earlier, the haul will likely be significantly lower than in the boom years of 2003-2006. In those years, the biggest hauls were from the North Coast (Fort Bragg north), where the season doesn’t open until Dec. 1.
Fishermen have had it tough lately because of fishery restrictions, competition and lessening demand from big consumers like cruise ships. Making a living from the sea is hard and unpredictable. Last year, prices started at $2 a pound and averaged $2.75 overall; this year, the fisherman’s association has proposed an increase to $2.25.
When I was growing up on the coast of Georgia, no one worried much about the price of crab. My siblings and I would wait for low tide, then wade out to waist-deep water. Standing beside a jetty, toting broken-off broomsticks with a chicken neck attached to a string in one hand and a slatted bucket in the other, we’d poke around until something tugged on the chicken neck. If we were lucky, we’d pull up the string and see a yummy blue crab clinging to the bait. We knew enough to recognize the females, which we had to throw back. Everything else stayed in the bucket, where our catch could survive until it was time to head up to the house. We dumped the crabs into a pot of boiling water; as soon as they were cooked through and cooled a bit, we picked them clean and settled in for a feast.
Fresh crab is a Thanksgiving tradition for many Californians, who usually present it cracked but mostly intact, accompanied by dipping sauces and the necessary utensils for getting the meat from shell to mouth. If the season is a good one, there will be enough crab to go into dishes that require slightly more preparation.
If you have more fresh crab than you can use at one time, freeze it for another day. The following recipe for a light soup – a staple in our house for decades – uses either fresh or frozen crab meat.
Crab Bisque
Serves 6-8
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups crab meat
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups light cream
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1/4 cup sherry
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook one minute. Stir in flour and mix well. Add milk and cream all at once. Bring to boil, stirring. Add crab and any liquid from thawing, mace, pepper and salt. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add sherry. Sprinkle with parsley.
