Crab: Buying, Cooking, Cracking

There's something about crab that makes any dish decadent-whether in a rustic weeknight pasta or atop a cocktail party hors d'oeuvre. And no matter the species, those sweet hunks of crabmeat always taste like pure indulgence. Along the Pacific, Dungeness crab is most popular, and with crab season extending from November in San Francisco through early fall in Alaska, locals and tourists alike can be found at crab feasts and festivals nearly year-round.Filled with gorgeous photos celebrating all stages of enjoying this most succulent crustacean-from catching to consuming-this complete guide offers tips for buying, cleaning, preparing, cooking, cracking, and, of course, eating crab. Using crab of all types (blue, King, soft-shell, and more), the recipes range from the traditional to the more exotic, including Crab Louis, Chile-Glazed Crab Lollipops, Fisherman's Wharf Crab Cakes, and Crab Beignets, with options to feed appetites both big and small. Just crack open CRAB to find inspiration for turning any meal into a festive, finger-licking occasion.

JENNIFER JEFFREY is a food writer who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Andrea Froncillo joined the Stinking Rose Restaurant as executive chef in 1996 and subsequently oversaw the opening of the parent restaurant group’s four other Bay Area restaurants: the Crab House at Pier 39, Dead Fish, Boboquivari’s, and the Franciscan Crab Restaurant. He lives in San Francisco on the famous “Crookedest Street in America.”