This dish by Cat Cora is an absolute family favorite and perfect for Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve or any special occasion. It absolutely requires some prep and a mess, but it’s spectacular to prepare when you have the helping hands of family and friends around—and be sure to decide in advance who is doing the dishes. Dungeness Crab season starts at the beginning of November, and this is a delightful way to kick it off. Try to buy fewer, but larger, crabs—and  don’t worry about leftovers, because there won’t be any left.

I make this easier on myself by buying the crabs from my local fish market par cooked and tomalleys removed. Before putting them in the oven, remove the legs from the crab and crack the legs a bit just to open them and allow the sauce  mixture to infuse the crab. Throughout the entire process always have a bowl underneath the crabs, so that you’re catching every little bit of the juice to add to the mix. It’s a bit messy, but absolutely precious and worth the effort.

Equipment