Fresh Dungeness Crab Meat $14.99 a Pound at Costco, with pics

[uberman]

I used to fish for crab in Alaska. It is generally thought by all the fisherman that Dungeness is the best tasting crab. King crab is easier to eat, but not quite as tasty. Once in awhile I'll buy a 5 pound can of frozen dungeness for $70.00 a can. The last one I bought had too many shell fragments.

Fresh Crab

Today I went to Costco and bought two 1 pound plastic cartons of fresh Dungeness Crab meat for $14.99 a pound. I ate half with no shell yet. It's from Oregon. This is December 2, and it has a pull date (not really a pull date, but must freeze by) of December 9th, it's fresh. My second favorite seafood since I get fresh abalone.

It's not that I have so much money, but this is the best I've had. I couldn't resist buying 2 pounds today. I used to get all the crab I could eat, but when you work with it all day, it's no longer attractive.

San Leandro Costco (East Bay) to be specific. I'm sure other Costcos have this.

 

[FoBoT]

thanks for the tip, that sounds great

 

[DainBramaged]

Wish I could get some of that shizzle.

 

[ponyo]

Man, you're making my mouth water. I do like Dungeness crab but I still prefer the King Crab. My local Costco in GA has the cooked frozen Dungeness for $3.99/lb and King Crab for $10.99/lb. I buy the King Crab around twice a month. I used to buy the Dungeness but don't anymore as I think the King is the better value.

 

[uberman]

It's funny about elite seafood. I waited to go to the east coast to get lobster. Last time I was in Newfoundland I bought a live one and boiled it. I really prefer crab.

 

[Gibson486]

14.99 a pound is kind of beyond me. I cringe when i pay 6.99 a pound for salmon I guess i am just too poor

 

[ponyo]

Lobster is so overrated. I do like occassional lobster tail to go with my steak but no lobster can compare to crabs.

I even prefer shrimp to lobster.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
14.99 a pound is kind of beyond me. I cringe when i pay 6.99 a pound for salmon I guess i am just too poor

Fish markets will sell it for $18.00 to $23.00 a pound over the holidays. I usually buy it fresh frozen which is what they will most likely sell in fish markets. I've never seen it sold fresh, ever. I use to fish crab in the late 1970's.

It's kind of a treat like filet mignon.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
14.99 a pound is kind of beyond me. I cringe when i pay 6.99 a pound for salmon I guess i am just too poor

Dont worry. The Democrats are about raise the minimum wage.

 

[Coquito]

Originally posted by: uberman
I use to fish crab in the late 1970's.

You have stories. Let's hear them.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Naustica
Lobster is so overrated. I do like occassional lobster tail to go with my steak but no lobster can compare to crabs.

I even prefer shrimp to lobster.

I agree, ocean shrimp are awesome. Just try to stay away from farmed shrimp. If you saw the video, "Farming the Seas," it would gross you out at the polluted water, diseases and how they pour in vast quantities of antibiotics to save the dying prawns.

Ocean prawns have real flavor though.

 

[Pepsei]

delicious..... it's 6.99/lb frozen here... but with shells, (which is no big deal, very easy to eat like king/snow crabs). I think i have 2 lbs left...

 

[Fritzo]

Those damned crab's legs are scary huge, but the meat is a bit bland. Kind of a rubbery, salty fish taste. Snow crab is by far has my favorite flavor, with blue crab a close second.

 

[RossMAN]

<--- Oregonian checking in.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Coquito

Originally posted by: uberman
I use to fish crab in the late 1970's.

You have stories. Let's hear them.

Do you have a couple days? Stories, yes. Everybody coming into Kodiak and making money and having to be a tough guy, packing knives, etc. Fisherman making $900.00 to $1,400.00 a day and coming into town to blow their cash in the bars for 12 hours while the boats were being unloaded. It was a gold rush. The bells ringing for free drinks for everyone rang regularly in the bars. Taverns served as banks for the fisherman because they came in at odd hours.

This was dangerous work and I saw boats go down with friends aboard. I mean I knew the people, the boats, and heard of their sinking. Then there were the people hiding out in Alaska who were being sought by the FBI. They were wild. From shootouts to drownings it was always wild and extreme beauty. I've seen 20 bald eagles at a time as they dove for bait I threw off the boat. I read the book on crab fishing, "...the most dangerous proffession." I was in Kodiak, Alaska during that time and I know the people who they are talking about. Those were the best years for crab fishing.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: uberman

Originally posted by: Naustica
Lobster is so overrated. I do like occassional lobster tail to go with my steak but no lobster can compare to crabs.

I even prefer shrimp to lobster.

I agree, ocean shrimp are awesome. Just try to stay away from farmed shrimp. If you saw the video, "Farming the Seas," it would gross you out at the polluted water, diseases and how they pour in vast quantities of antibiotics to save the dying prawns.

Ocean prawns have real flavor though.

I don't think I've much choice. I buy what I guess is Tiger Shrimp or something like it at Costco for $9.99/lb. It's pretty large and already deveined so it saves me time.

I actually buy most of my seafood from Costco. I love their fresh tuna steaks, mussels, longneck clams, shrimp, lobster tails, dungeness, and king crab. Tonight for dinner I made nice pasta with garlic, tomatoes, parsley, white wine, longneck clams, and mussels. Both the clams and mussels I bought yesterday at Costco. Seafood is the main reason I go to Costco more than Sams Club.

 

[ni4ni]

Originally posted by: Naustica
Lobster is so overrated. I do like occassional lobster tail to go with my steak but no lobster can compare to crabs.

I even prefer shrimp to lobster.

I prefer lobster claw to lobster tail.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Those damned crab's legs are scary huge, but the meat is a bit bland. Kind of a rubbery, salty fish taste. Snow crab is by far has my favorite flavor, with blue crab a close second.

Just for your information: Snow crab is Tanner crab, long body with spindly legs. The meat from the legs is removed by placing the legs between rollers much like those on a wringer washing machine.

The meat then passes on a conveyer belt underneath black lights where the shell fragments show up imediately. It may be done differently today because we didn't like people working so many hours under black lights.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Those damned crab's legs are scary huge, but the meat is a bit bland. Kind of a rubbery, salty fish taste. Snow crab is by far has my favorite flavor, with blue crab a close second.

You think the legs are scary? Live ones with the body are worse. Last time I visited Korea, I went down to the local fish market and bought couple of live Russian King Crab. Talk about big ugly thing. But it was super delicious. Real sweet and tender. Unfortunately I can't get live ones here in GA so I have to settle for cooked frozen ones from Costco. But at least it's whole lot cheaper.

Blue crabs are great but takes too much work for too little meat.

 

[dennilfloss]

If I remember correctly from all those years ago, Isla loves this kind of crab.

 

[LookingGlass]

heh, I just had Dungeness Crab for dinner, with garlic potatoes, and corn, with some corn muffins, $18.99. omg, it was EXCELLENT. I had more fun eating it, the legs were good size, got some decent meat off them. With 3 glasses of zin, could NOT go wrong. hhhhhmmmmmm.

 

[uberman]

I should have mentioned how crab is unloaded at the canneries. It's normal to me, but for those not familiar, here you go:

The water is pumped out of the live holding tanks which are about 12 feet deep. Buckets are lowered into the tanks of live snapping crabs. Unloaders jump in on top of the live snapping crabs, grab them by hand and throw them into the buckets. Lots of snapping going on. If they really hurt you, you rough them up a little against the metal buckets.

King crab and Tanner crab are slow, but Dungies are fast and bite more quickly.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: uberman

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Those damned crab's legs are scary huge, but the meat is a bit bland. Kind of a rubbery, salty fish taste. Snow crab is by far has my favorite flavor, with blue crab a close second.

Just for your information: Snow crab is Tanner crab, long body with spindly legs. The meat from the legs is removed by placing the legs between rollers much like those on a wringer washing machine.

The meat then passes on a conveyer belt underneath black lights where the shell fragments show up imediately. It may be done differently today because we didn't like people working so many hours under black lights.

Very cool. Probably squishes out like toothpaste

 

[ponyo]

Isn't it Dungeness season in San Fran? One of these days I'm going to visit San Fran during the Dungeness crab season and eat away. Harry's / Whole Foods near me sell live ones for around $10/lb which isn't too bad.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: Naustica
Isn't it Dungeness season in San Fran? One of these days I'm going to visit San Fran during the Dungeness crab season and eat away. Harry's / Whole Foods near me sell live ones for around $10/lb which isn't too bad.

Yes, Dungeness season just opened in San Francisco. Whole crab prices will be high at first eventually dropping to about $2.99 a pound in stores.

Today, they are selling fresh dungeness whole crab for $3.99 a pound at Costco. It's probably about a dollar more in local markets today. I prefer to buy the meat only, I'm lazy I guess.