Stone Crab season opened October 15 and runs through May 15. The Florida stone crab is a delicacy known around the world. They have a sweet taste and perfect texture. Florida 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. Fishermen remove the claw and return the crab to the ocean. The crab will regenerate its claws. In fact, Florida law forbids the landing 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, making it a renewable resource and a favorite among conservationists.

The sweet-tasting meat of Florida stone crab claws is delicious unseasoned, with melted butter or with a mustard sauce. The meat resembles lobster in appearance and flavor.

Cook the claws whole, with the shell on. Once cooked, the best way to crack the shell is to use a mallet or a hammer. Remove all of the cracked shell pieces, leaving the meat attached to the movable pincer. Don’t forget there’s plenty of delicious meat in the knuckles. 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 one pound of meat.

The sweet-tasting meat of Florida Stone Crab claws is delicious unseasoned, with melted butter or with a mustard sauce. If you’ve ever been to Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant in Miami and enjoyed their mustard sauce, you know it’s good! Now you can make it at home with this recipe.