I’m gearing up to head out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca next weekend and I can’t wait!  It got me thinking about the last time I was out fishing in the San Juan islands and I realized I never posted my crab recipes from the delicious fresh crab I brought back that trip.

Crabbing is something I had never done before so it was really cool to be able to see it first hand.  I learned all about pulling pots, distinguishing males from females, seeing if their shells are soft, and measuring to be sure it’s legal to keep.  This guy was one of big ones they could keep (yes he’s still alive in the picture!).

Once I was home with the crab legs, I knew I needed to find some great recipes to really show off this delicious crab meat.  But before I could get to cooking, I learned the not so fun task of getting all the crab meat out of the shells.  It took me over an hour to do all the legs, but it was so worth it when I was left with all this gorgeous fresh crab!

Crab Cakes

Crab cakes were the first thing I wanted to make.  They’re one of my favorite appetizers to order at any seafood restaurant.  That being said, I’ve definitely had some crab cakes that left me wondering where all the crab meat was in between all the breading.  So it was important to me that I found a recipe that really showcased the meat and didn’t use a bunch of fillers.

I found this recipe on All Recipes and followed the directions to a T.  In the end, I was left with these beautiful crab cakes that everyone loved!

It’s full of crab meat and delicious seasonings.  You broil them in the oven to get the nice crispy outer crust.  There aren’t many fillers added, so the crab is really the star of this recipe.  If you love crab and love crab cakes, definitely give this recipe a try!

Steak Oscar

Now, for the rest of the crab meat, I knew I really wanted to go all out for what I made.  What better than surf and turf?  And Steak Oscar was the answer!  For this recipe, I looked to Ree Drummond for inspiration and loosely based my recipe off of hers, found here.

Now her recipe called for shrimp to be used on top, but I swapped that out for fresh crab meat soaked in the butter sauce.  Unlike a typical bearnaise sauce used for Steak Oscar, she makes a tarragon hollandaise sauce that is so dang good you’ll want to put it on everything you cook!

For the asparagus, I coated them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roasted them in the oven.  This is actually my favorite vegetable to eat with any meat dish.  They turn out soft and crispy on the ends.  The steak was grilled in a piping hot cast iron skillet to medium rare.  It’s a little bit tricky to get the timing right for everything to be done at the same time (my sauce thickened up a bit) but the end result is so worth it.

This may be the nicest meal I’ve cooked so far.  It’s definitely a pricey meal to put together, but the final dish rivals anything you’ll get at a nice seafood restaurant!

I served mine with roasted tri-color baby potatoes and salad.  It was definitely a crowd pleaser!  I can’t wait to make it again, maybe next time with a nice venison steak!

What’s your favorite way to eat fresh crab?  Share below and let me know if you try either of these recipes!