The sweetest of all crabs, Dungeness come from coastal Pacific waters stretching from Alaska to Monterey Bay.

The Dungeness crab gets its name from the town of Dungeness -- located near Sequim, Wash., home to the oldest commercial shellfish fishery on the Pacific Coast -- where Dungeness crab were first commercially harvested in 1848.

According to the Environmental Defense Oceans program, "only adult males are taken in this fishery, which uses pots and traps made of biodegradable webs ... Pots and traps are also equipped with built-in exits that allow escape of undersize crabs. Only mature male crabs can be fished during the season, while female and undersized male crabs are returned to the water."

Dungeness crab often bury themselves almost completely in sand for protection. Hairs located around the water intakes at the base of their claws keep their gill chambers free of sand grains. When moving about on the sea bottom, crab find and capture their prey -- mainly animals living partly or completely buried -- by probing into the sand with their legs or claws.

While people usually associate sideways movement with crab, they can actually move in any direction. When necessary, Dungeness crab can also move quite quickly -- fast enough to tire a pursuing scuba diver, experienced divers readily admit.

Dungeness crab has a much higher meat yield than blue crab. When you buy Dungeness crab live, look for an active one; otherwise, look for whole cooked crabs without shell cracks, as well as lumped or picked meat.

Today, Dungeness crab is known around the world for its wonderful texture, its buttery flavor and its relative rarity.

Cracked crab is a favorite with crab lovers this time of year. Served with a little butter, salad and some crusty French bread, it's a hearty meal in itself. Or you could offer some cracked crab, or even picked lump meat, along with a plate of marinara-sauced pasta, popular at crab feeds during winter months throughout wine country.

Included in today's Register is a recipe for Dungeness Crab and Spring Onion Risotto, provided to Environmental Defense Oceans by Portland chef/restaurateur Greg Higgins, along with a relatively easy Caribbean Crab Pilaf with Coconut Milk from New Orleans' chef/restaurateur Susan Spicer, taken from her brand new cookbook, "Crescent City Cooking" (Alfred A. Knopf, $35).