<p>A cooked crab boil, ready to be devoured.</p>

As a coast native, I look forward to the annual Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival, and my favorite part of it apart from visiting with friends, family and acquaintances at what has more or less become a community reunion is the crab. Dungeness crab is our true local delicacy, and in my opinion, it is an example of culinary perfection; all the flavors one could possibly ask for, in one, convenient shell.

Although I am happy to simply crack crab and eat it purely plain, about once a year I get an itch to prepare a crab boil. Crab boils are sort of a Southern thing and are often prepared with crawfish (in some parts of the South, a crab boil is also known as Frogmore Stew). With our access to fresh Dungeness crab, though, I dont see any reason why we cant steal the concept. A crab boil is a fun event to host, and its sort of a culinary performance. The dish is highly customizable and can be prepared with any choice of ingredients youd like a little something to suit everyones tastes. Before you start, cover your dining surface with newspaper (I promise not to be offended if my column is included), and set out some crab crackers for your guests.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil

4 yellow onions, peeled and sliced in thick rounds

1/3 cup Old Bay seasoning, plus more to taste

3 heads garlic, peeled, and cut in half horizontally

2 gallons crab or seafood stock

5 pounds whole baby red or yellow potatoes

6 ears corn, broken in half

2 pounds smoked, Keilbasa sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 pound uncooked prawns with shells and tails

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 to 6 Dungeness crabs

Yield: 8-12 servings

Time: 90 minutes

Use live crabs

A crab boil must always start with live crabs, because they yield the best, freshest flavor possible. Plan on serving, conservatively, a half a crab per person if you have a lot of other ingredients in the pot, or a whole crab per person if you have big appetites. Visit your favorite local seafood market and select the crabs that seem most lively in the tank. Keep them in a well-ventilated box, or if you really want to scare your guests, let them crawl around the kitchen floor. Some say that storing them in the refrigerator makes them less active later on, when they will be cooked.

The right kind of pot

Next you will need a giant stock pot. I have a 40-quart one, which is about the perfect size for eight to 12 people, although you could certainly make do with a 20-quart one for a smaller crowd, or upgrade to the 60-quart one, if youre planning on hosting a houseful. One that comes with a fitted, strainer basket inside is ideal.

What to do

Set your stockpot over medium heat, and fill it with just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Add the onions, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent. Add the garlic and Old Bay Seasoning, and continue stirring occasionally until the garlic begins to soften. If you have a strainer insert for your pot, put it in now, and fill the pot with the stock. Allow the stock to come up to a simmer, and while doing so, give your crabs a bath (carefully) in the sink, with a few rinses of cold water. They can be left in the sink while you proceed with the rest of your recipe (though you may have to babysit them a bit, if one tries to make a break for it).

Drop in the potatoes and allow them to cook for five minutes. Next, add the sausage and corn. Continue cooking for another five minutes.

Next, take a few moments to pay your respects to the crabs, and thank them for making your lovely dinner possible, before grabbing your tongs and plunging them head first, one at a time, into the simmering stock. Cover the pot with a lid (you may have to hold it shut for a few moments), return the stock to a boil, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, and add the prawns, simmering until they turn pink, which should only take a few minutes.

Youre done

Thats it! At this point, invite your guests to the table, remove the strainer from the pot, leaving the broth behind in the pot, and, with great panache, dump the entire contents onto the newspapered table.

Serve with salt and freshly ground pepper, more Old Bay seasoning, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, and hot butter, for those who like to eat their crab that way. Top it all off with a loaf of crusty bread, a frosty bottle of light lager, a glass of sauvignon blanc, or my favorite, a bloody Mary (see the accompanying recipe above).

This dish has a little something for everyone and great drama besides what more could you ask for?