Dungeness Crab Omelet- Torta de Cangrejo

Two days ago, I prepared my favorite dish, normally served only on special occasion. It is the Dungeness Crab Omelet ( torta de Cangrejo) with shredded cabbage and sweet Vidalia Onions from Hawaii. Today is not my birthday or some other special occasion, but I have two whole crabs left-over from our New Year Lunch. The Dungeness crabs were on sale( for only $7.99/lb) at Safeway for the last couple of days.

The last time I tasted this dish was a couple of years ago, but the crab was from the Maryland crabs known also as the blue crabs. Preparing the dish is simple. The hardest part is to remove the crab meat from body, the claws and legs. 

 

The cabbage is shredded (1 bowl) and sauteed with the onions in olive oil until partially cooked. An equivalent amount of crab meat is added to the shredded cabbage and onions and cooked in olive oil until the cabbage is fully cooked . The crab and cabbage patty mix is added to beaten eggs with a small amount of corn starch. The patty is then fried in olive oil until the egg is cooked. The omelet is served with Picante Sauce (Hot or Mild) with steam rice. If you do not a cabbage, just the onions will suffice. The cabbage also give bulk to the dish.

My other recipe is the use of cube potatoes, bean sprouts or green beans( julienne) instead of the shredded cabbage. Try it and let me know if it is good.

Do you know the difference between the Dungeness and Maryland Crabs. The Maryland crabs, also known as blue crabs are much smaller in size and very similar to the Philippine crabs in appearance and taste. The Dungeness crabs are big and are caught here in the San Francisco Bay area and northward up to Alaska. The Maryland crabs are from the Chesapeake Bay of Northern Maryland and Virginia.

The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister), is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to 20 cm (7.9 in) across the carapace and is a popular seafood. Its common name comes from the port of Dungeness, Washington. The crabs is a special attraction to tourists in the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf during the Crab Season. The season for the San Francisco Bay starts in the second Tuesday of November. I have posted several videos on Crabbing in my recent article in case you have not read it.

 

 This dish is also the favorite of my mother- Paz Balleza Katague(RIP)