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This boiled Dungeness crab recipe features sweet, tender crab meat complemented by a zesty homemade cocktail sauce made with chili sauce, horseradish, and Worcestershire. It's an elegant yet surprisingly simple meal that comes together in under an hour.
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For the cocktail sauce: Combine the chili sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Chill until serving.
For the crab: Drop both whole live crabs in a large pot of salted boiling water. Let cook until the shells turn a bright red, 10 to 15 minutes. Be aware that the meat cooks very fast once exposed to the hot water. Remove the crabs from the water and pull the main shell off. If this is difficult, insert a large knife between the shells in the back of the crab where they meet and pry open. Once the top shell is removed, rinse the crab in the sink, cut in half (from front to back, not side to side) and peel off the gills (which are attached to the bottom portion) and discard. Clean out all entrails and other waste from the top shell portion. Place on a plate with the lemon and lime slices, and place the top shell back on top for presentation. Serve with the cocktail sauce.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Store leftover crab meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cocktail sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
large pot (5+ quarts) · crab cracker or mallet · crab pick or small fork
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Boil for 15–20 minutes depending on size (about 2 pounds each). The shell will turn bright orange-red and legs pull away cleanly from the body.
Yes. Mix the sauce up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Stir before serving.
Use a crab cracker or mallet on the claws and legs, then gently pry the body open with your fingers or a crab pick to extract the meat from the body sections.
Use ketchup as a 1:1 swap, though it will be milder. Add an extra pinch of horseradish to compensate.
Yes, the recipe calls for live Dungeness crabs. Purchase from a reputable fishmonger and cook the same day.
