Cancer magister
The hard outer body, or “carapace,” of Dungeness crabs is oval shaped and typically yellow-brown to purplish. They have a pair of claws closest to their head, followed by four pairs of walking legs behind the claws. Their claws are serrated, with light-coloured tips and a pronounced hook that distinguishes them from other crab species. Adult crabs typically weigh from 0.7-1.4 kilograms, and they can grow to two kilograms; however they don’t typically reach this size due to high fishing pressure.
The crab meat has a sweet and mild flavour. Dungeness crabs are harvested using traps.
They are available live, whole cooked, frozen, in clusters, and as meat.
