Yesterday I was delirious, lost in Stone Crab and Mustard Sauce heaven.
I spent many years of my young adulthood in Miami. Stone Crabs were a main part of my diet when in season.
Joe’s Stone Crabs on South Beach was an institution even when the neighborhood was not so nice. We ate there often. Every chance I could, I bought them. I made mustard sauce, cut lemons, cracked the claws and man, I was in heaven.
You Floridians know what I mean!
Yesterday when I was in Clean Catch Fish Market, Bill told me they were getting in some big claws in the morning so, how could I resist? I reserved 6 claws. After I saw the size, I cut my order in half. Each claw was nearly a pound or more!
Since he advised me to come after 11. I sauntered in at about 12:30 and sure enough the claws were in. They were easily a pound each. Huge!
There are several things about stone crabs you should know. You always buy them cooked. All you have to do is crack them and eat.
They are harvested one claw at a time. They re-grow what ever claw is taken. Some years it is all left claws others, it is all right claws. You never eat the entire crab, just one claw or the other. The crab is not killed, pissed off, I’m sure, but not killed. Besides, they can regenerate claws so I don’t feel so bad.
I wonder if the claws grow fast to accommodate the size of the rest of the crab. I have never seen claws as huge as these.
Wonder if they grew by the nuclear power plant in Jupiter, FL.
Needless to say they were delicious!
I made coleslaw, oven fried potato wedges, Mustard Sauce, cut lemons, poured well-chilled champagne.
What a lunch! (Robert is so lucky!)
Mustard Sauce for Stone Crabs
As you may know, I love to make condiments. Here’s a great sauce to add to your repertoire.
- 1 tablespoon dried mustard (Coleman’s)
- 1 tablespoon water
Stir together to make a smooth paste.
Add
- 2 ounces smooth Dijon mustard
- 4 ounces sour cream
- 2 ounces mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon for a different flavor and versatile sauce.
Mix everything together an allow the flavors to mellow for at least 30 minutes before serving.
The shells were easy to crack and to get to the succulent bits of meat
All that remained . . .
Sorry Frugal, this is definitely NOT a frugal meal! We may eat beans, rice and cornbread later this week but this was a great indulgence.
Related articles
- Stone Crab with Mustard Sauce (iguanaisle.wordpress.com)
- National crab meat day (eatocracy.cnn.com)
Spoon Feast 
Yes, I am lucky and even if we did have to eat beans, rice and cornbread, it would be the best ever!
We used to live in Key Largo and also in Coral Gables and loved when it was stone crab season. We have a friend who had a license to catch them and would often get the huge ones you had. Nothing better. We were at Joe’s in October and of course we had all of their famous dishes.
There is nothing like stone crabs. How lucky you knew someone with a license! I’m not sure if I could remove their claws and toss them back. I would probably try to scare them so they drop the claw on their own. Then it’s more like ‘Hey, look what I found, YUM!’
We really were lucky. He would always call us when he got the really bigs ones.
Divine! The season is almost over so we may get more soon, so we don’t forget what they taste like. 😉
I used to live in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove too. I love that area!
Crab, glorious crab – my ABSOLUTE favourite!
🙂 Mandy
YES! 😉
They look like the size and shape of the claws we get from our northern Australian mud crabs. I love crab.
Can you do a stone crab in wok with sweet chili sauce? Mud crabs are fantastic that way.
These are typically eaten cold. They get cooked right away after harvesting to prevent the meat sticking to the shells. They could be served warm but here, usually not.
I like sweet chili sauce.
Mud crabs sound like something to look into!
definitely worth it if you visit northern Australia.
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