Processors, Crab Commission Say Dungeness Crab is Perfect for Valentine’s Day
Forget the flowers and candy. Oregon seafood processors and the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission say the perfect gift for your Valentine on Feb. 14 is fresh Dungeness crab.
Their advice: get that Dungeness crab for you and the special people in your life for an exceptional dinner at home. The alternative: order your crab right off the menu at your favorite local restaurant.
And, says Tim Novotny, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, you’ll also be showing you care about your own heart health.
“A three-ounce portion of cooked crab yields 19 grams of protein and contains important minerals and amino acids, including Omega-1, proven to lower blood pressure, strengthen immunity and even improve arthritis symptoms,” Novotny said.
The start of the season always features the biggest, best crab of the year, and processors and some fish markets will clean the crab for you.
Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, noted that Dungeness crab is a staple of life on the Oregon Coast.
Her advice: “Enjoy it plain, with butter, in a crab sandwich or crab taco,” she said. “Any way you crack it, Dungeness is the tastiest crab around.”
Among the current hawkers of fresh whole Dungeness crab is the famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. Each whole crab weighs two pounds or more and is shipped clean, which means they take the shell off and clean out all the guts, so the purchaser does not have to.
Fresh Dungeness crab is also for sale from many other seafood purveyors, ranging from Fred Meyer and Costco stores to seafood specialty shops in Oregon Washington and Alaska.
