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Stone crabs are found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts but are commercially harvested almost entirely in Florida.  Adult stone crabs are easily recognized by their oval body and two large claws.  The adult body of the stone crab is dark brownish red, more or less mottled and spotted with dusky gray.  An interesting feature about the stone crab is the mark on the inside of the large claw that resembles a thumb print.

 

Stone crabs inhabit bays and estuaries where they hide under rocks and shell fragments.  When fully grown they move into shoals just below the low tide mark and dig oblique burrows 12 to 20 inches deep.  Stone crabs are found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts but are commercially harvested almost entirely in Florida.  Stone crabs differ from blue crabs in that only the oversized claws are harvested.  This highly nutritious meat is considered a delicacy and is usually boiled and served in the shell with a sauce.  The meat resembles lobster in appearance and flavor.

 

Stone crabs are captured commercially with traps which are re-baited every other day.  Florida law forbids the taking of whole stone crabs.  Fishermen are allowed to take claws at least 2 3/4 inches long and are required to return stone crabs safely to the water.  The stone crab can regenerate its claws three to four times. 

 

Stone crab seasons opens October 15th each year and runs through May 15th.  The majority of Florida stone crab claws are commercially harvested off the southern tip of Florida's peninsula from Sarasota to Fort Lauderdale.  Stone crabs are harvested for the mouth watering claws and only the claws of the stone crab are removed.  The stone crab is then returned to the water where it will regenerate new claws within 18 months.  In 2004, nearly 3 million pounds of stone crab claws, with a dockside value of more then $26 million, were harvested in Florida waters.

 

Stone crab claws are cooked immediately after harvest, and sold either fresh cooked or frozen.  Fresh cooked can be eaten within three to four days if packed in ice or stored in the coldest part of a refrigerator.  Be sure to freeze only claws that are completely intact and free from cracks in the shell.  The thick shell will protect the meat for up to six months in a home freezer.  Thaw the claws in the refrigerator, allowing 12 to 18 hours for them to thaw completely.  The quality will be compromised if they are thawed under running water or at room temperature.

 

The sweet-tasting meat of Florida stone crab claws is delicious unseasoned, with melted butter or your favorite sauce.  To crack the shell, use a crab cracker, a tool you can purchase at your local kitchen supply or department store, or the back of a heavy spoon.  Remove the cracked shell pieces, leaving the meat attached to the moveable pincer.  Don't forget there is plenty of delicious meat in the knuckle of the claw.  The meat can also be picked from the claws and used as an ingredient in other recipes.  Approximately 2.5 pounds of cooked stone crab claws yield 1 pound of meat.  Stone crab meat is firm in texture, sweet, low in fat and extra lean.

 

 

 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,