Pillar Point Harbor - Half Moon Bay, CA [Supplying]

Posted by Chubbypanda at 12/06/2006 12:47:00 AM

My family loves fresh crab like no other. That sweet meat, dipped in a little Taiwanese black rice vinegar is a family favorite often served with hot pot. Taiwanese crabs don't grow nearly as large as the ones in the States, so every time my grandparents visit, they always want to eat fresh crab. In Northern California, where my family lives, Dungeness Crab season runs from the 15th of November to the 30th of June. Since my grandfather's visit this year coincided with the opening of crab season, nothing would do but that we pack up the family and head off to the sea in search of fun, sun, and tasty crustaceans.

(Luckily for me, I'd flown back north the Thanksgiving weekend, so I got to go along too.)



Late in the morning of the Friday after Thanksgiving, we ventured forth into the great unknown like the American pioneers. Our path led us West as we followed the footsteps of those early settlers towards the lush and craggy California coast. My father's SUV blazed the trail, darting ahead of our caravan like a frontier scout. Behind us, my aunt's minivan lumbered slowly and steadily, the Conestoga wagon carrying the women, children, and my grandfather. It was our manifest destiny to procure a bountiful harvest of plump, meaty crabs, and we boldly rushed forward to meet it.



Our first stop was the beautiful seaside town of Santa Cruz, roughly an hour south of our home in Saratoga. Although we'd never been there before in search of crab, we hoped that the Pier at Santa Cruz, next to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, would prove fruitful. Unfortunately, all we found were tourist trap shops with their high prices and mediocre products.



The Princeton Seafood Company offered a dim ray of hope, particularly when we saw one of the fishmongers prepping and cooking live Dungeness crab right outside the store.



Unfortunately, the crabs were priced higher than you'd find them in Asian supermarkets, and the store was only offering them pre-cooked that day.



Cooked crab simply wouldn't do, no matter how freshly caught it was. Crab meat begins to lose its sweetness and flavor once it's been cooked. The best way to eat crab is straight from the pot to the plate with no stops in between. We needed to find live Dungeness crabs.



After lunch (which I'll cover in a separate post), we turned our wheels towards Half Moon Bay, two hours north of Santa Cruz along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. Our target was Pillar Point Harbor, home of several seafood buyers and wholesalers, and home of a large crab-fishing community. The fishermen at Pillar Point had never let us down.



With traffic from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and several stops to take in the sights, we arrived fairly late in the afternoon. The main pier at Pillar Point Harbor was lined with countless fishing boats, some only recently returned with their briny harvests. We immediately headed for the end of the main pier, where the factors for Morning Star Fisheries and Three Captains had their offices. At that time of day, we knew that the wholesalers were our best bet for crabs. Sadly, the offices were closed when we got there, and workers had already begun loading merchandise onto the trucks of buyers for transport to other parts of the state. One of the largest set of trucks was for the 99 Ranch Market chain of stores. If you bought live Dungeness crabs from a 99 Ranch Market recently, chances are it came from Half Moon Bay.



Luckily for us, we were able to find several familiar whiteboards still up bearing messages like this one, advertising Dungeness crab available on board the Betty K.



The few crabs the Betty K had left that day weren't large enough to satisfy my grandfather, although they were still able to gather a sizeable crowd of hungry crab lovers.



No, the real Holy Grail that afternoon was found on the Tonita, where the line of crab crazy locals was twice the size of the one in front of the Betty K. The Tonita had come in late that day, so still had a number of gargantuan crabs left. Furthermore, the captain was offering his usual special of $3 a pound if the total purchase exceeded five pounds. That was almost half the price the other boats were asking for live Dungeness crab, and one quarter of the price charged by the supermarkets. We bought fifteen pounds.



On the way home, tired and road weary, I saw something that made me realize how much more advanced Northern California is compared to Southern California. That's right. It's a Caffino, a NorCal chain of drive-though espresso and coffee shops. Just the thing for a Silicon Valley IT worker facing a long morning commute. I love Southern California, but I miss my childhood home.



The next morning, we feasted on the fruits de mer of our labors.

Live Dungeness crab + 5 quarts of boiling water + 1/4 cup of sea salt = Yum!

You can add the juice of one lemon to the boiling mix if you like. Don't worry. If you put them in the freezer for a few minutes beforehand, they essentially go to sleep and never wake up. It's the kindest way to send them on.



Fifteen minutes later, we started filling up the feeding trough. Don't they look gorgeous?



Some ramekins of black rice vinegar, the Chinese balsamic, seasoned with diced garlic or leeks, and it was time to dig in! Pretty good eatin' for what were essentially giant sea spiders.


Pillar Point Harbor - Get there early in the afternoon and head straight for the fishing boats. They've got the freshest product at the lowest prices. I highly recommend the Tonita. Our family has been buying from them for years, and they've always offered an excellent selection at unbeatable prices.



Pillar Point Harbor
1 Johnson Pier
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-8724
http://www.smharbor.com/pillarpoint/index.htm

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16 comments:

  1. Ben said... 12/06/2006 03:19:00 AM

    This is so nice. Coincidentally, I had crabs (one of those rare moments) a couple of weeks ago. Will blog about that the next few days.  

  2. Wandering Chopsticks said... 12/06/2006 08:32:00 AM

    Nice post. I love that your family caravans on the hunt for good food. This brought back memories of my childhood.

    But if going north is good, go farther north -- like Oregon. The crab is free with a shellfish license, which you can buy by the day. Nothing beats crab you've caught yourself. The last time I had Dungeness was when my parents gave me four large crabs. I sauteed them with garlic and pepper with french bread to mop up the sauce and finished off a whole bottle of wine.

    Oh, and another good thing about going to Oregon, we've had drive-thru coffee since at least the 90s. ;)  

  3. joanh said... 12/06/2006 07:15:00 PM

    wow you guys went all the way to nor cal for fresh crab?? mmmm. how about redondo beach or in the OC? also, really good crab cakes or crab salads are really delicious.  

  4. KirkK said... 12/06/2006 09:54:00 PM

    You are part of a true foodie family....all the way to NoCal for crab!  

  5. Rasa Malaysia said... 12/06/2006 10:02:00 PM

    OMG Chubbypanda, I think we like exactly the same kind of foods. Oh my, I will have to go find some this weekend and whip up my mother's secret recipe crabs. ;)  

  6. elmomonster said... 12/06/2006 10:31:00 PM

    Whoa. I saw the YouTube video before you posted this (snuck a peek). I knew we were in for a treat! And I was right.  

  7. Chubbypanda said... 12/06/2006 10:54:00 PM

    Quick note to everyone. My family and my aunt's family both live in the Silicon Valley area of California. It's where I was born and raised. I came to SoCal for university and ended up staying. I'd flown home that weekend for my grandfather's visit. While the entire caravan trip took over eight hours, it's not quite as impressive as driving from SoCal to NorCal for crab. I re-read my post and realized it was a little ambiguous, so I've altered the intro a little to make it clearer. Apologies for the confusion.

    Ben,

    I'd like to say that I was inspired by your trip to watch the salmon run, but truth be told I was dragged along by my father. My siblings were able to wiggle out of the trip since they had finals at Stanford to study for. Although the trip was exhausting, I ended up being very happy that my dad had insisted I go. I got to spend a lot of time with my family and see some really gorgeous scenery.

    I look forward to your crab post.

    WC,

    I come from a family of foodies. Family caravans for tasty treats were a part of my childhood too.

    Oregon, eh? That sounds like a real plan. We might do that next time if we have more than a day to spend on it. I love driving through Oregon.

    Joan,

    Well, we went all the way to NorCal from NorCal. =b See my very first comment.

    Kirk,

    Same comment as to Joan. Sorry buddy. I should have been clearer in my intro.

    RM,

    It's our Malaysian/Fujian tastebuds. We share a lot of the same genetics. That's gotta count for something, right? =)

    Elmo,

    You're sneaking peeks at my Youtube uploads? Oh me oh my. I'm truly flattered. =)

    - Chubbypanda  

  8. The Bill said... 12/07/2006 08:20:00 AM

    Have you ever tried salt, pepper and lime dip? Oh boy you should give that a try...  

  9. H. C. said... 12/07/2006 09:41:00 AM

    Oh yum - it's been a while since I feasted on fresh crabs. Hopefully it'll still be in-season when I make a stop en route up the California coast.  

  10. Passionate Eater said... 12/07/2006 10:30:00 AM

    Yes, it is crab season up here in Nor. Cal., and it is wonderful! Hey, I think you (and Kat) should think about moving back up, closer to Mom, Pops, and Passionate Eater!  

  11. KT said... 12/07/2006 05:14:00 PM

    That looks so pretty! I wanna go!  

  12. Chubbypanda said... 12/09/2006 09:11:00 AM

    The Bill,

    My mouth just watered at the thought. I honestly think you could coat a penny loafer with that mix and it would be delicious.

    HC,

    You're in luck, amigo. As long as you're not planning to go after June of next near, it'll still be in season.

    PE,

    You know, I've sincerely thought about it. Cat and I have talked it over, and if my current gig doesn't work out, I'll definitely be applying to positions in both NorCal and SoCal. Being closer to my family and having the opportunity to expand my friendship with you into RL are certainly tempting. However, you've read my post about the Californian, so you know how commited I am to the success of my current company. We'll just have to see.

    KT,

    Awww... What a sweetie. You really should. It's a 12-hour, absolutely gorgeous drive up PCH. I highly recommend touring the California coast if you've got a spare weekend. When I bought my car in NorCal, my dad and I decided to make a father-son trip of it and drove down in one day. Absolutely breathtaking. We're quite lucky to live in a state this lovely.

    - Chubbypanda  

  13. Rasa Malaysia said... 12/10/2006 06:31:00 PM

    I thought you grew up in Taiwan? Maybe you spent a lot of times there even though you were born and raised in Northern CA?  

  14. Chubbypanda said... 12/10/2006 11:18:00 PM

    RM,

    I was born and grew up in NorCal. But, until I was around 14 or 15, I spent two - three months almost every Summer in Taiwan, plus the occasional trip during Winter break.

    - Chubbypanda  

  15. tigerfish said... 12/30/2006 05:54:00 PM

    YOu may not believe but it was until I saw this post on crabs that I decided to go R99 to get some and cook it myself
    I steam it instead of boiling cos I don't have a deep pot.
    Turns out great. Thanks!  

  16. imnoangel said... 4/02/2012 12:55:00 AM

    My dearest friend of many years died on the Betty K. in 2009 when it sank.
    People complain about the price of crab - which has the highest fatality rate of ANY industry.
    For a couple bucks a pound, plus or minus a dollar - is it worth the lives that are given for people to eat a scavenger creature?
    A crab feeds on dead things.
    Hope you all enjoy eating the bountiful crab season that is sure to come after the horrible tragedy that happen in Japan.
    Lives are always lost for crab - please stop complaining about a dollar or 50 cents.  

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