DUNGENESS CRAB FRITES WITH PICKLED PEPPER TARTAR

Serves 2 to 3

Sweet and buttery Dungeness crab, crispy french fries and a punchy pickled pepper tartar sauce come together for a dinner that feels special but also very approachable. If you prefer not to cook live crab, cooked crab also works as well.

The crab

• 4 celery stalks

• 3 large carrots

• 1 large yellow onion

• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

• 3 dried bay leaves

• 2-inch chunk of Parmesan rind (optional)

• Salt

• 2 (1½ to 2 pounds) live Dungeness crabs

The Pickled Pepper Tartar Sauce & Dressing

• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

• ½ cup chopped parsley

• ¼ cup chopped dill

• 5 tablespoons chopped slightly spicy pickled peppers, such as hot cherry or pepperoncini

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped capers in brine, drained

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

• Salt

The Frites

• 1 pound frozen french fries

• Salt and pepper

Instructions: Fill a big pot with 5 to 6 quarts of water. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves and Parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil then season the water with enough salt to make it taste salty, but a little less so than the sea — about 1⁄4 cup if using Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Cook 1 crab at a time by grabbing the body with long tongs and gently submerging the crab into boiling broth. Cover with a lid and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes (about 7 minutes per pound of crab) then transfer to a colander, run under cold water, and once cool to the touch transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining crab.

Gently pull up the main crab shell exposing the main cavity, then scoop out everything that doesn’t look like crab meat from the center and sides, including the feathery gray gills. Rinse again until clean. On the bottom of the crab, flip up the butt flap and tear off, then cut the crab in half and then cut the legs and claws into individual pieces. With a mallet or a nutcracker, gently break the shells open just enough to expose the cooked meat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to the temperature as directed on the french fry packaging (usually about 425 degrees). Position the two racks in the oven.

In a small bowl add the mayonnaise, ¼ cup parsley, the dill, 2 tablespoons of the chopped pickled peppers, lemon juice, capers, about one-third of the chopped garlic and the mustard. Mix well with a fork and set aside. In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the remaining garlic. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Cook the french fries as directed.

Meanwhile, to a large bowl, add the crab parts, melted butter and the remaining 3 tablespoons chopped pickled peppers. Lay the crab parts on a sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven along with the crab and roast until the garlic is very aromatic, about 5 to 10 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup parsley on the crab and transfer to serving plates. Season the french fries with salt and pepper and serve alongside the crab with the pickled pepper tartar sauce.