Dungeness Crab with Lemon Butter, String Beans, and Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Gently Steamed Dungeness Crab

Brief steaming warms already-cooked crab without washing away its sweetness or toughening the meat.

Ingredients

• 3 freshly cooked Dungeness crabs, about 1¾–2 pounds each, kept refrigerated
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• as needed water for steaming

Instructions

1. Ask the fishmonger to clean and crack the cooked crabs, reserving clean top shells if desired for presentation. If cleaning at home, lift off the top shell, remove the gills, mouthparts, and viscera, and split each body in half. Lightly crack the claws and thick leg joints without crushing the shells.
2. Bring 1–2 inches of water to a boil beneath a steamer rack in a large covered pot. Keep the crab above the water.
3. Arrange the crab sections loosely on the rack, working in batches if necessary. Cover and steam for 6–10 minutes, until the thick body joints are hot and the meat is warmed through. Avoid prolonged steaming.
4. Transfer to a warm platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges and the lemon butter.

Notes

• This method starts with fully cooked crab, not raw crab. Follow current California Dungeness crab advisories, discard the viscera, and do not use the cooking liquid.
• Freshly cooked crab may also be served chilled; keep it refrigerated until serving rather than leaving it out to temper.

Warm Lemon Butter

A little water and gentle heat keep the butter cohesive, while lemon cuts the richness without obscuring the crab.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• to taste fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the water in a small saucepan until steaming, then turn the heat to its lowest setting.
2. Whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time, adding more as the previous addition melts. Keep the sauce warm but do not let it boil.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, zest, and a small pinch of salt. Taste with a piece of crab before adding more salt.
4. Divide among warmed dipping bowls just before serving.

Notes

• If the butter separates, whisk it into a teaspoon of warm water in a clean bowl to bring it back together.

Lemon-Parsley String Beans

Blanching preserves the beans' snap and color; olive oil, lemon, and parsley give them enough flavor without competing with the crab.

Ingredients

• 1 pound string beans, stem ends trimmed
• 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• to taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
2. Add the beans and cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on thickness, until bright green and tender with a slight snap.
3. Drain thoroughly and toss immediately with the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and pepper. Taste and adjust the salt; serve warm.

Notes

• If blanching ahead, chill the beans in ice water and drain well. Rewarm briefly in boiling water, then drain and dress just before serving.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Boiling makes the centers creamy; smashing and drying expose rough edges that turn crisp in a hot oven.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds small yellow potatoes, about 1½–2 inches across
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• to taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by an inch, and salt generously.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, until a small knife slides easily through the centers. Drain and let steam-dry for 5 minutes.
3. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Space the potatoes apart and press each with the bottom of a glass until about ½ inch thick, keeping the pieces loosely connected.
4. Drizzle with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning carefully after about 20 minutes, until deeply golden with crisp edges.
5. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Notes

• Use two baking sheets if needed; crowded potatoes steam instead of crisping.

Overall Timing / Workflow

The potatoes take the longest and tolerate a short hold, leaving the final minutes for warming crab and finishing the beans.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Heat the oven and start the potatoes in cold salted water.
2. 0:10 — Trim the beans, chop the parsley, prepare the lemons, and clean and crack the cooked crabs if necessary. Return the crab to the refrigerator.
3. 0:25 — Drain, dry, smash, and oil the potatoes; begin roasting.
4. 0:40 — Bring the bean water and crab steaming water to a boil. Prepare the lemon butter and hold it gently warm off direct heat.
5. 0:50 — Check and turn the potatoes. Begin steaming the crab, allowing extra time if working in batches.
6. 1:00 — Blanch and dress the beans. Finish crisping the potatoes and bring everything to the table as soon as the crab is warm.

Plating

Family-style service keeps the crab accessible and the potatoes crisp, with individual butter bowls for dipping.

Instructions

1. Pile the warm crab sections on a large platter with lemon wedges. Use only thoroughly cleaned shells if including them for presentation.
2. Serve the beans and potatoes in separate warm dishes rather than beneath the crab, where shell juices would soften the potatoes.
3. Set out individual lemon-butter bowls, crab crackers, picks, a shell bowl, and plenty of napkins.

Leftover Path

Picking the remaining crab promptly makes it easy to use cold, while reheating the potatoes separately restores their texture.

Instructions

1. Within 2 hours of serving, pick the remaining crab meat into a shallow airtight container and refrigerate. Refrigerate the beans, potatoes, and butter separately.
2. Use the crab preferably the next day, and within 3–4 days of its original cooking date. Toss it cold with lemon, olive oil, parsley, and chopped leftover beans for a simple lunch.
3. Recrisp the potatoes on a baking sheet at 425°F for 10–15 minutes. Use refrigerated vegetables and butter within 3–4 days.
4. Discard the viscera and cooking liquid rather than saving them for stock.