While it's hard to argue with California Dungness crab, *fresh* California rock or spider crab is also very tasty. The former is like a miniature version of a Dungness without the intense flavor, but just as sweet. The latter looks like a scale model of a King crab, but with a MUCH heavier shell....and nice lump crab meat in the strangely angular body.


Unfortunately, both are very hard to find in restauruants or fish stores... I learned to love them by haunting the fisherman's early morning (5-7 am) Saturday market at Santa Barbara Harbor...buying them right off the boats. You can also find all sorts of fish (red snapper, halibut, sole, herring, squid, etc.) and also grass shrimp and spot prawns in season. ^