Stone crab lovers, your time has come

Monday marks opening day for the state's stone crab season.

By Janet K. Keeler, Times food and travel editor
Published October 17, 2007

It's a good time to be in Florida, and not just because temperatures are flirting with the 80s.

Stone crabs, the state's most cherished shellfish, have returned to fish markets and restaurants. The season opens Monday (10/15) and crab lovers can continue to crack those tough orange-and-black claws through May 15.

The season is expected to start with good yields, which isn't the case every year, especially when the Gulf of Mexico water is very warm.

"We've been diving all summer to look at traps and it looks like there is an abundance of crabs," says Billy Moore of Billy's Stonecrab restaurant in Tierra Verde (1 Collany Road; (727) 866-2115). "We ended the season with an abundance of medium crabs and it looks like the season is going to start the way it ended, with a lot of mediums."

The claws come in medium, large, jumbo and colossal, and prices jump accordingly. At Billy's, a 1-pound medium claw dinner is $21.95 and you'll get six to seven claws. The as-close-as-you-can-get-to-1-pound colossal dinner will set you back $55 for two claws and sides. Colossals weigh 8 to 14 ounces each, Moore says.

He predicts retail prices will be $14 to $15 a pound for mediums and $22 to $23 for large claws.

Twice a week during the season, Moore makes the run up U.S. 19 to the Shrimp Landing fish house in Crystal River and to the Cedar Key Fish House in old Homosassa to load up on crabs. Many crabbers there, he says, migrated up the coast when development and increased recreational boating pushed them out of Pinellas County.

Still, he says, there are a lot of crabs just miles from the south Pinellas restaurant he opened in 1972.

"When there is a shortage during the season, we get the crabs here," he says.

Cooters Raw Bar & Restaurant in Clearwater Beach (423 Poinsettia Ave.; (727) 462-2668) kicks off its four-day Crab Fest! on Thursday under a big tent at the restaurant. There will be music, drink and three kinds of crab: stone, king and Dungeness. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. Thursday and 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday and continue until closing.

"I've heard so far the opening looks good," owner Carol Mears says of the early stone crab haul. "There should be plenty out there."

The large claws at Cooters are the top sellers, but for Mears' money, the jumbos are the best. "There's just more meat in there."

If you're buying stone crabs to eat at home, remember they are always sold cooked and can be served cold, traditionally dipped in a mustard sauce, or heated and dipped in melted butter. To heat cooked claws, plunge them into boiling water for a few minutes or steam. Do not cook for long or they will get rubbery and might stick to the shell.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recommends that fresh-cooked claws be stored for three to four days packed in ice or in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Claws that are free from cracks in the shell can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 14 to 18 hours depending on size. Do not run water over them to thaw or they will lose flavor.

Is the stone crab really that much better than its blue, king or Dungeness cousins? What makes locals and tourists clamor for the sweet meat in the hard shell?

It's the sheer volume of meat, Moore says.

"When you get that stone crab, it's like an ice cream cone of meat," he says. "You take a large claw, 4 to 5 ounces, and when you open it there is 21/2 ounces of meat there. You could spend a whole day getting that kind of meat out of the blue crab."

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at (727) 893-8586 or jkeeler@sptimes.com.

APPETIZER

Marinated Stone Crab Claws

1 pound Florida stone crab claws

1 cup tarragon vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salad greens

- Crack the claws and remove the outer shell, leaving meat attached to one side of the claw. Combine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and garlic; mix until sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over crab claws; cover. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Drain. Serve on a bed of salad greens.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Stone Crab Claws with Spicy Golden Mustard Sauce

3 pounds medium Florida stone crab claws

2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon half-and-half

- Crack claws; remove shell and movable pincer, leaving meat attached to the remaining pincer. Set aside. Combine mustard, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce; blend slowly for 3 minutes. Add small amounts of half-and-half until mixture has a creamy consistency. Serve claws with mustard sauce on the side. Note: Sauce can be refrigerated up to 5 days.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

[Last modified October 15, 2007, 15:45:30]