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Home » In the Kitchen

Makah Dungeness Crab Boil

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Makah Dungeness Crab Boil: dungeness crabs in a stock pot with a boil bag

"Crab have always been a part of the Native American diet, culture, and economy of Pacific Northwest and Alaskan Indigenous communities. This particular crab recipe is based on a tradition of the Makah, who live on the coast of what's now Washington State. I've spent time crabbing with the Makah at Neah Bay and I can wax poetic about the Dungeness crab, how their delicate meat tastes as fresh and oceanic as the wind off the water. As you can imagine, this recipe is one of my favorites in this book."

- Chef Freddie Bitsoie

This traditional Dungeness crab boil recipe will surely be a favorite with your kids. Whether they're into playing with crustaceans or making a spice bag, there's plenty of fun to go around the kitchen with this simple Makah crab boil.

Learn more about cooking with kids.

If you like this crab boil, try the crab cakes.

Jump to:
  • New Native Kitchen
  • Chocolate Chili
  • Makah Dungeness Crab Boil
  • Makah Crab Boil
  • Free Makah Dungeness Crab Boil Recipe for Pre-Readers & Up
  • Montessori Continent Boxes
  • Makah Dungeness Crab Boil

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Cover of New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian

New Native Kitchen

This Makah crab boil recipe comes from New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian by Chef Freddie Bitsoie & James O. Fraioli.

Inside, Freddie shares about the Makah:

The Makah live in what's now northwest Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. A society intrinsically connected with the sea, the Makah traditionally lived in longhouses: very cozy, single story rectangular buildings covered in shingles of bark. Ancestral longhouses feel very welcoming , and inside them, you can fall asleep listening to the sound of ocean waves. The name Makah means "generous ones," and was given by neighboring communities: in their own language, the Makah community is called Qwiqwidicciat.

Traditional Makah cuisine features the bountiful salmon and berries of the coast; they also once ate seals and gray whales, which could provide for the village for months. Seal hunters wore their hair in tight buns on top of their heads with burning torches protruding from their hair. This flame torch, dipped in cedar pitch, was a pre-cursor to battery-powered headlamps, and it gave them light to see when they hunted in sea caves.

- Chef Freddie Bitsoie

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Covers of New Native Kitchen and The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen cookbooks

Try another recipe from New Native Kitchen. If you like this Makah crab boil, try three sisters bean stew, chocolate bison chili, bison cheeseburgers, bread pudding.

Learn more about allergies and your family.

related recipe!

Chocolate Chili

Combine a hearty home-cooked chili with a sweet, chocolate dessert

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Makah Dungeness Crab Boil

Ingredients

  • mustard seed
  • celery seed
  • dill seed
  • coriander seed
  • allspice
  • cloves
  • bay leaves
  • salt
  • lemon juice
  • cayenne pepper
  • Dungeness crab
  • butter
  • lemon wedges

Equipment

  • cheesecloth - you'll want 2 pieces of cheesecloth, about 6 x 6 inches each
  • kitchen string
  • measuring spoons
  • stock pot
  • tongs
  • butcher block
  • small saucepan
  • crab crackers (optional)
crab boil bag of spices

Make the Spice Bag

Wash your hands with soap and water. Place two layers of cheesecloth on a clean surface.

Use a measuring spoon to add the mustard seed, celery seed, dill seed, coriander seed, whole allspice, and whole cloves to the center of the cheesecloth. Add the bay leaves on top.

Cut a piece of baker's string. Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and use the baker's string to secure the bag.

stock pot on the stove

Boil Water

Add 8 quarts of water to a large stockpot. Use a measuring spoon to add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne to the pot. Place the spice bag in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat.

close up of dungeness crab
dungeness crab on a counter next to tongs

Place the Crabs in the Pot

Use tongs to add the crabs to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat.

Makah Dungeness Crab Boil: dungeness crabs in a stock pot with a boil bag

Allow the pot to simmer, covered, until the shells turn bright red, about 18 minutes.

Makah Dungeness Crab Boil: dungeness crabs in a stock pot with a boil bag
butter in a small saucepan

Melt the Butter

While the crabs are brightening up, place some butter in a saucepan heat over low heat. Once the butter is melted, turn off the burner.

cooked dungeness crab on a butcher block

Remove the Crabs

Once the crabs' shells are bright red, turn off the stove. Use tongs to remove the crabs from the pot. Let them sit for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle.

dungeness crab in pieces on a butcher block

Clean the Crabs and Serve

To clean the crabs, remove the top shell and discard it, along with the gills and mandibles. Rinse the crabs clean.

Serve with the melted butter and lemon wedges. For younger kids, you may want to remove the crab meat for them, and invite them to participate as able.

cooked dungeness crab

free recipe!

Makah Crab Boil

A traditional Dungeness crab recipe from the Pacific Northwest

    Built with ConvertKit

    Free Makah Dungeness Crab Boil Recipe for Pre-Readers & Up

    Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meal using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.

    The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for North America.

    Treasures From Jennifer Montessori continent boxes with Schleich animals on top of boxes for continents South America, Europe, and the supercontinent Pangea box

    Montessori Continent Boxes

    Explore every continent with these solid maple hardwood boxes.

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    Dungeness crab meeting his end

    Makah Dungeness Crab Boil

    Kristin
    This traditional Dungeness crab boil recipe is sure to please. Whether you're playing with crustaceans or making a spice bag, there's plenty of fun to go around with this simple crab boil!
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Native American
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 258 kcal

    Equipment

    • Cheesecloth
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Stock Pot
    • Tongs
    • Butcher Block
    • Kitchen String
    • Crab Crackers optional
    • Small Saucepan

    Ingredients  

    • 2 tablespoon mustard seed
    • 2 tablespoon celery seed
    • 1 tablespoon dill seed
    • 1 tablespoon coriander seed
    • 1 tablespoon whole allspice
    • ½ teaspoon whole cloves
    • 4 bay leaves
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon cayenne
    • 2 whole live Dungeness crab
    • butter melted
    • lemon wedges

    Instructions 

    • Make the Spice Bag: Wash your hands with soap and water. Place two layers of cheesecloth on a clean surface. Use a measuring spoon to add the mustard seed, celery seed, dill seed, coriander seed, whole allspice, and whole cloves to the center of the cheesecloth. Add the bay leaves on top. Cut a piece of baker's string. Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and use the baker's string to secure the bag.
    • Boil Water: Add 8 quarts of water to a large stockpot. Use a measuring spoon to add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne to the pot. Place the spice bag in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
    • Add the Crabs: Use tongs to add the crabs to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat. Allow the pot to simmer, covered, until the shells turn bright red, about 18 minutes.
    • Melt the Butter: While the crabs are brightening up, place some butter in a saucepan heat over low heat. Once the butter is melted, turn off the burner.
    • Remove the Crabs: Once the crabs' shells are bright red, turn off the stove. Use tongs to remove the crabs from the pot. Let them sit for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle.
    • Clean the Crabs and Serve: To clean the crabs, remove the top shell and discard it, along with the gills and mandibles. Rinse the crabs clean. Serve with the melted butter and lemon wedges. For younger kids, you may want to remove the crab meat for them, and invite them to participate as able.

    Notes

    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 120 °F
    • Crab should be tightly covered and refrigerated within 2 hours after cooking.
    • See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
    • Full Recipe Info and Pictures at:  https://happyhomeschooladventures.com/crab-boil

    Nutrition

    Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 34gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1.37mgPotassium: 905mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 605IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 308mgIron: 6mg

    Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Kristin from Happy Homeschool Adventures

    Hi, I'm Kristin!

    I'm a Montessori homeschooler of 4 living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I'm a nature lover and environmental minimalist sharing my experience in guiding kids from the back of the boat.

    More About Me ➜

    Our Land Acknowledgement

    We reside on the ancestral lands of the Kalapuya and Luckiamute Tribes as well as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.  The land was ceded in the Ratified Indian Treaty #282 on January 22, 1855.  The languages of the Indigenous peoples of this area are Kalapuya and Chinuk Wawa.


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