Florida Stone Crab Season Starts Today, October 15

Jeff,

My taste buds thank you, my wallet curses you.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Jeff,

My taste buds thank you, my wallet curses you. :)

Enjoy,
Gary

And they never seem to run out at Joe's Stone....


trent

I saw a piece on the news yesterday saying that Stone Crab prices might be down this year because there is a large supply due to so many restaurants in Florida being destroyed in the rash of hurricaines they had this summer. I'm always sorry to hear about other's misfortune, but I'll take the good deal of stone crabs any day of the week.

FWIW, stone crabs are caught in parts of the Gulf and Atlantic other than the Florida coast, and they also come up from South America. And they freeze pretty well, like most crab.

But nothing compares to the fresh stuff harvested in South Florida, which only happens in season and is pretty strictly managed.

Joe's in Chicago has stone crab all the time. It only has fresh Florida claws in season, though. They'll tell you if you ask and sometimes they volunteer it.

I think the original Bob Chinn's more closely approximates the Florida seafood experience, for better or worse, though Joe's is very good especially for steaks and the fried grouper sandwich.

I have never had stone crabs before, so I have a few questions. Does the size matter ? IN CRABS THAT IS. What is the normal market price and is the shell split for you or do you use a mallet? What is the taste and texture compared to, are they chilled or steamed? Sorry for all the questions. I have a $100.00 Levy gift cert and its between Joe's for stone crab or WF char crusted bone in ribeye. Thank You

Kim wrote:I have never had stone crabs before, so I have a few questions. Does the size matter ? IN CRABS THAT IS. What is the normal market price and is the shell split for you or do you use a mallet? What is the taste and texture compared to, are they chilled or steamed? Sorry for all the questions. I have a $100.00 Levy gift cert and its between Joe's for stone crab or WF char crusted bone in ribeye. Thank You

You'll have a hard time using your gift certificate at either of those places, since they are both run by LEY rather than Levy.

In answer to your stone crab question, they are sold by size, more or less. The bigger, the more expensive. Stone crabs are different than most types of crab that you might encounter on your dinner plate. Stone crabs are actually only the claws of the stone crabs. The shells are very hard and are generally served pre-cracked.

stevez,
Sorry about that, I meant LEY. Thank you very much for your response.

Kim: My experience is what Joe's calls "selects" are a nice combination of size and sweetness. My own personal opinion is that Stone Crabs get bigger, like shrimp, the meat is less sweet. I believe that "selects" constitute around eight claws a pound.

Hope this is helpful. They are a real treat.