Dungeness Crab w/ Corn and Red Potatoes

Ok, so my husband and I love this place called Joe’s Crab Shack. If you haven’t been, you should go. It’s not fancy at all … which you probably guessed when you read “Shack.” It basically has the decor of T.G.I.F. and Applebee’s, you know, where it looks like a tornado threw up on the walls. But the food is so yummy! We usually get the same thing every time. Yes, we are those people. No shame in our game 😉

So we usually get the Dungeness crab and we choose the BBQ seasoning. The bucket it comes in has fresh corn and boiled red potatoes. When we first met and we were super skinny, we would share a bucket. Recently we were in the car, on our way to the Crab Shack, and hubby was like “I want my own bucket.” Instantly I responded, “Me 2. I want my own bucket too.” And that was it. We are a two bucket household now.

As you can imagine, two buckets are not so cheap and after a while I decided that we should try to replicate it at home. It worked! After careful googling and maneuvering, I took what I liked from several recipes and made my own version. It’s super basic and hits the spot each time.

Ok so first you need crabs, the shellfish not the STD. We went to Ranch 99 and on the way there I was talking about all the amazing pics I would take of the fishtanks for my blog . And what happened as soon as I got there? Major ADD attack. I couldn’t control myself. I was all: “OMG a whole aisle just for sauces?!” .. “Ew what’s that?? What. Is. That.” .. “Ooooo yummy!” .. “Babe! The fish head is looking at me!!!” … You get the idea, what I’m trying to say is I forgot to take any pictures at the store.

But then we made it home!

They’re alive! Keep the crabs in a sink or container until you’re ready to boil/steam them. We boiled everything, the crab, corn and potatoes. You could steam everything or you could roast the potatoes in the oven to get a nice crispy outer shell. Whatever you like, this recipe is super flexible.

While everything is heating up, I made the spice rub. You will need these spices:

Ignore the candy canes still there from X-mas. Many thanks. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a small bowl.

Then add 3 teaspoons of salt (you can save this step till the end just so that you can choose your own level of saltiness, it’s a very personal thing). Add two *heaping* teaspoons of Old Bay, a heaping teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt and pepper:

Mix it all together with a brush. This will be the sorcery with which you will baste your crustacean:

Boiling the crab is easy. Just put the live crab (I know I know) in boiling water (I used plain cuz my rub is so flavorful, but hubby’s mama suggested flavoring the water which I might try next time) and when they are pink and floating they are ready, about 15mins or so.