Where to buy a couple dozen live dungeoness crabs?

[jpollack]

Hey all!

So, a friend and I are wanting to throw a big crab feast at my place next month. To that end, I'd like to procure a a couple dozen live dungeoness crabs. Big meaty ones with the big thick legs! Yum yum yum yum. So the question is, where to buy them? I live in the city, but I'm willing to drive a couple hours outside of the city if need be. Also, any tips you may have for preparing, transporting, and serving the crabs will be welcome.

Thank you!

[jpollack]

Awesome! Thanks to all for your help. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[little big al]

As my old safety officer used to say, "Have you been checked out on this equipment?" A "couple of dozen" dungeness crabs at 2 lbs. each (smaller than I bought today) would feed 36-48 folks. I steam (steam is hotter than boiling water) 2 at a time in an 8 qt. stock pot with a steamer insert for 18-20 minutes. Serve to the first people to show up, and lather, rinse, repeat. A bigger pot might help. Alioto-Lazio on Jefferson St. would be my first choice for the crabbies themselves, but a trip to Half Moon Bay is also nice. If they're fresh they'll easily survive a half day in the cooler,or as others have observed in the fridge or kitchen sink.

[Ruth Lafler]

I'll just add that a couple of dozen is a lot -- I wouldn't just show up somewhere and assume they'll have two dozen good quality crabs. I would call around and get a price for that quantity, then order them in advance.

[Thomas Nash]

Pillar Point Harbor, Princeton by the Sea near Half Moon Bay. Call [phone] to hear what the boats are bringing in.

[Claudette]

When I was a kid, my mom bought crabs in Chinatown in the morning, and we brought them home wrapped in newsprint. We'd let them run loose in the kitchen sink for a few hours before we steamed them (never boiled) or stir-fried them. Since we always picked the liveliest ones, and the kitchen was cool, they were still pretty feisty by evening.

[Robert Lauriston]

Some tips on where to buy direct:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/822676
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/817379

[GH1618]

I follow James Beard's recommendation of eight minutes per pound for boiling live Dungeness crab. This about 15 minutes for a typical crab. Use seawater or salt water. That's a lot of crab. You don't want to put so many in at one time that it takes a long time to come back to a boil.

A couple of hours seems a long time to transport a crab out of water. When I buy a live crab, it's about half an hour from tank to pot. It will take you quite awhile to cook so many crabs once you get them home. Have you planned this out? How big is your pot? How many crabs per potload? How long does it take to bring the pot to a boil?

[DavidT]

You could check with the 2 seafood markets on the south side of Clement Street. One is around 4th Avenue, the other is between 9th & 10th Avenues. Both shops keep live crabs in tanks.