Dungeness crab here in the Pacific Northwest is our heaven.
The crab molt generally between May and August. By October, their shells are starting to get hard and bodies are not quite full of meat. Come November and December time, the shells are nice and hard and the bodies are packed full of meat.
We mostly crab in the Columbia river between Hammond, OR and Ilwaco, WA. When the weather permits, we pop outside in the Ocean and harvest our crab direct from the source. In the ocean, we are not so concerned with the tides sweeping away our crab pots never to be seen like we do in the river. I cannot tell you how many pots we have lost mistiming the tides. I think I have learned my lesson now, but it was an expensive lesson. I have not lost a crab pot is many years now.
To prepare the crab, we try to clean it and have it boiled within a few hours of getting back to the dock. That first bite right out of the pot is what keeps me wanting to catch crab again and again.
Once we have had our fill of all the crab we can eat with our friends and family, my wife have discovered a way to vac-u-seal the remaining crab and freeze it for later. Out of the freezer, we let it thaw and either steam it a bit to warm it up or eat it cold. I am not going to say it is just as good as fresh, but it is pretty darn close.
Unfortunately, this year I have an issue with one of my engines that needs to be looked at before I take the boat out again. We hope to have it ready by spring.