The Resy Guide to Crab Season in San Francisco

Chef Matt Kirk’s fun new bakery and restaurant Automat is doing a whole roasted Dungeness crab that’s then stir-fried with jalapeño butter and tossed in a citrusy vinaigrette. It’s currently served dinner time only, Thursday through Saturday.

The team over at Ernest is doing a Viet Cajun-inspired crab set. The whole thing is blanched in a spicy crab boil of sorts, then finished in the wok with a sticky, spicy curry sauce that coats the entire thing (and your fingers too). Get a side of the excellent seasonal fried rice to pair.

Get crab two ways at Jo’s: first as a fiery crab curry with plenty of curry powder, chile jam, and shrimp oil (!), and then also as a crab fried rice that makes use of the beautiful crab butter. Make sure you grab one of the excellent cocktails to cool yourself down.

Everything on the dumplings and noodles section of Mister Jiu’s is fantastic. But the seasonally changing cheong fun features Dungeness crab this time of year, along with dried shrimp and yellow chives.

Every winter since The Morris opened, they do a congee-inspired porridge made with freshly-milled brown rice fortified with a special “crab sauce” that’s topped with a shaved carrot salad and tempura’ed crab legs — a perfect dish to warm you up during the blustery months.

The always wonderful Rich Table is doing a crab salad of sorts with pomelo, spaghetti squash, a spicy Thai-inspired red curry, and a smoked trout crumble with plenty of toasted garlic. It’s layered, it’s complex, and it’s finished with fresh herbs, of course.

Of course there’s plenty of crab at Salito’s Crab House & Prime Rib in Sausalito — the name sort of says it all, doesn’t it? Outside heated patios overlooking the boats and seaside are the ultimate added bonus.

You’ll find crab mixed in the kani sunomono dish (crab and cucumber salad), made with Hikari farm cucumbers, sweet vinegar, crab miso, yuzu peel, and lemon olive oil. Find the dish on their special Monday night Kappo Rintaro menus.