Sho Spaeth is the lead writer and editor at ChefSteps.com. He is also the author of Homemade Ramen, a James Beard Award–nominated cookbook.

Sho Spaeth

Kyl Haselbauer has 20 years of experience working in fine-dining and modernist kitchens, including Bar Cotto and Anchovies &amp; Olives in Seattle. He is also the owner of Bright Spot, a café and coffee shop in Seattle.

Kyl Haselbauer

Cracking Dungeness crabs can be a deliciously messy business. But it doesn’t have to be! The team at ChefSteps has tons of experience with these critters. We’re based in Seattle, which is famous for its crab, and we’ve shopped for, cleaned, cooked, cracked, and picked countless crabs both at home and in restaurant kitchens.We’ve pooled our collective knowledge about all things Dungeness crab and set it down here, so you can be 100 percent confident that you’re buying the best crab possible, cooking and cleaning it perfectly, and not wasting any of it. Let’s get crackin’!

The Ultimate Guide to Dungeness Crab