Butter!!!...
I'll bring the wine! YUM! Who needs anything else?
Salad, bread and possibly a baked potato. But the crab's the star of the show!
Linda C

Last time I cooked Dungeness I did an asian version and just served rice. I like rice with crab better than baked potatoes.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Clean and cut into halves or quarters. Crack legs and claws so favours are absorbed.

1/4 cup Peanut oil
3 to 4 minced Garlic cloves
1 tablespoon grated Ginger
1 teaspoon Chili Paste
1 to 2 tablespoons Honey
2 to 3 tablespoons of Rice Wine vinegar
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 red pepper cut into strips
1 green pepper cut into strips
1 bunch of green onions sliced
cilantro

.
Heat the oil in a wok, until very hot. Add the crab and toss to coat
with oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 20 seconds. Add the
chili paste, honey, rice wine vinegar and a little chicken broth.
Cover and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red and green
peppers, cover and continue to cook until crab is almost cooked. Mix
the cornstarch with a little chicken broth and add to the pan. Simmer
another minute to two. Add the green onions and cilantro. Serve over
basmati rice.

I like to do crab boils, with the crab, onions, garlic, potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob and shrimp if I have it available all cooked together. Boil it all together with lots of shrimp/crab boil, putting the onions, garlic, potatoes and sausage in first, then after they start getting cooked, add the crab and finish off with the corn and shrimp. Serve it on a big platter with lots of melted butter, lemon and/or lime wedges, cocktail sauce and tarter sauce. And don't forget lots of paper towels.

Here is one way we serve crab here in Sonoma County as we get it right
off the crab boats.

Cracked Dungeness Crab with Lemon and Garlic

In the winter months, Dungeness crabs are harvested off the coast of Northern California. We think they are the world's best crab, with a unique sweet flavor that is not found in any other seafood. Of course, there are any number of ways to prepare them, but here is one of our favorites.

3 heavy Dungeness crabs, alive if possible, or freshly boiled (never frozen!)
3 whole lemons
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup, fresh finely chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups, olive oil
1 teaspoon, white pepper
2 tablespoons, dried tarragon

If crabs are still alive, rinse wel and plunge them whole into boiling water in a large crab cooker (about 5 gallon capacity).
Remove when the crabs have cooked to bright red color, and allow to cool at room temperature.
When the crabs are cool, break off the legs and peel off the top shell, removing the innards but leaving a bit of the yellowish fat.
Crack the body lengthwise, and crack each leg segment with pliers.
Place crabs in large mixing bowl.
Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a small bowl, add olive oil, tarragon, pepper and parsley.
Use garlic press to squeeze garlic into mixture, then mix thoroughly.
Pour mixture over crab pieces, and toss, then allow crabs to marinate for one hour, tossing occasionally.
Serve in large soup bowls with bread sticks, butter and ice cold champagne, or dry white wine. We like to have a few heads of Belgian endive, so that the leaves can be dipped into the crab marinade.

This will serve about 6 persons.

Oh Ramona! I'm positively drooling here.....for real!