Get Cracking at Crab Week in Bellevue
Two Dungeness Crabs – photos by Mindy Stern
Sweet, tender, buttery, and rich. That’s the taste of Dungeness crab, whose “meat” is packed inside large claws and legs. Named after Dungeness, Washington, a small town on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this crab is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic culinary staples.
Thousands of recreational crabbers purchase an annual license from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The pots and ring nets they drop into the water catch over 1.5 million pounds of Dungeness crab each year.
In addition, Dungeness crabs support commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries, a high-value harvest that exceeded $81.5 million in 2023.
Inspired by the Pacific Northwest’s seasonal bounty and Bellevue’s diverse culinary roots, the city of Bellevue is hosting Crab Week from August 14 – 23. Eleven partners, most of them restaurants, include some of Bellevue’s top chefs, with crab-based dishes to tantalize your taste buds. Whisk, a kitchenware store and cooking school, is also participating. Take a hands-on class, learn how crack open a crab, and try some new recipes.
If you stop by three or more partners during the ten-day week, a plushie crab keychain can be yours – both a memento and reward. Download the Vuefinder App and put Crab Week Trail in the search box for the full list of partners.
Participating restaurants include super-upscale La Mar and El Gaucho, casual fine dining like Monsoon, casual-fusion Japonessa Sushi Cocina, and Wild Wasabi Signature, plus staples like Daniel’s Broiler and Earl’s Kitchen + Bar. You don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy this event. Burgermaster is serving a Dungeness Crab & Swiss Melt – real Dungeness crab and melted, aged Swiss on grilled sourdough. Totally original.
To launch Crab Week, La Mar’s chef Kaoru Chang created a squid ink tartlet filled with lumps of crab and avocado, topped with smoked trout roe, and served with an empanada filled with crab meat, local cheese and sweet corn, topped with sour cream, sweet corn and Osetra caviar from California. As if that weren’t enough, he used crab legs in his Leche de Tigre sauce and served that with torched avocado and chalaca (Peruvian onion salad). Fine dining at its best.
Up next on Bellevue’s culinary-themed events – prepare to slurp your way through Noodle Week, November 11 – 22, 2026. But right now – it’s time to get cracking! Crab week runs only from August 14 – 23, 2026. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the very best of the Northwest.
Chef Kaoru Chang of La Mar’s creations
Meanderings is an award-winning travel column by Mercer Island resident, Mindy Stern. For more essays, or to comment, visit her website www.mindysternauthor.com