Stone crab is one of the most delicious and sustainable types of seafood available. If you’ve never had it, you are definitely missing out!
Before you dive in and start buying stone crab claws to cook for dinner, it’s important to know a little bit of information about stone crab. Read on to discover this unique type of crab and get all of your stone crab questions answered!
What is a Stone Crab?
Stone Crab is a breed of crab known for its delicious and tender meat, as well as its ability to regenerate its claws. This ability makes consuming stone crab claws 100% sustainable, as only the claws can be harvested, and then the crab can be returned to the ocean to grow a new claw for the next season.
Stone Crabs are native to the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the United States. Stone crabs are a medium-sized breed of crab, coming in smaller than their Alaskan King crab counterparts but larger than the small crabs seen running on beaches. Their claws are relatively large compared to the rest of their body, and as mentioned above, they will re-grow when one is removed.
Stone crabs consume small mollusks and oysters present in the ocean, and their preferred habitat is in deep holes on the ocean floor.
Is Stone Crab Good to Eat?
Stone crab meat is a delicious delicacy, and it can be consumed either hot or cold. Stone crab meat is a little on the tougher side, similar to lobster, with a sweet taste. The delicious taste of this crab is complemented best when dipped in clarified butter or mustard sauce.
Why Can You Only Eat Stone Crab Claws?
While you might occasionally see a full stone crab on the menu, most of the time, only stone crab claws are served. This is because of the sustainable harvesting practices, as the living stone crab is returned to the ocean after a single claw is harvested.
Why Are Stone Crabs So Expensive?
Stone crab claws are more expensive than other types of crab for two reasons: limited availability and regulations regarding harvesting.
Unlike most types of crabs, stone crabs can only be harvested during a certain time of the year because in order for them to re-grow their claws, they must have the claw taken before the molting season, during the months of October 15-May 1.
Not only that, but because the stone crabs live through harvesting, it must be an experienced fisherman taking the claw. The fisherman must be skilled enough to remove the claw without hurting the crab.
Additionally, there are strict regulations that come with stone crab harvesting, mostly having to do with the size of the claws that can be harvested. So, not only does the fisherman have to be able to remove the claws quickly and with skill, but he or she must also be able to tell when a claw is too small so they can release the crab back into the sea.
Unless you live in an area with fresh stone crab, such as Florida, it is also likely that you’ll have to factor shipping costs into your stone crab purchase, but we can promise you that no matter what the final cost, it is worth it!
What Are the Differences Between Stone Crab and Regular Crab?
Let us start out by saying that there is no such thing as a “regular crab.” There are several different breeds of crabs, of which stone crab is one of them, but other types of crab include Alaskan king crab, snow crab, Dungeness crab, and more. In this section, we will be comparing stone crab to snow crab, which is probably the type most people are speaking about when they say, “regular crab.”
Claw Size
Stone crabs are known for their large claws. Much of this is due to regulations that prohibit fishermen from harvesting stone crab claws that are too small. That being said, stone crabs have abnormally large claws compared to their body size, and they are filled with juicy crab meat.
Flavor
Stone crab meat is very sweet, and it will lack the brine flavor that you will find prominent in snow crab. As such, it is more common to serve stone crab on its own and save the snow crab to use in dishes like crab cakes that will disguise the briny flavor.
Texture
Stone crab is a bit more firm than other types of crabs, mostly because only the claw meat is consumed. Snow crab, on the other hand is stringy, but easy to pull apart and shred, making it easy to add to lots of dishes.
Where They Come From
Stone crabs live almost exclusively along the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, while snow crabs prefer colder climates, such as those around the North Sea. Because they must be shipped further, it is more common to find snow crab canned or packaged prior to shipping.
Where Can You Buy Stone Crab?
It is important to take the time to buy stone crab from a reputable seller that adheres to harvesting and sustainability rules. Stone crab is delicious when purchased as close to the source as possible, so if you live near where it is harvested, definitely check your local butcher!
As nice as this sounds, we know it is much more likely that you live a bit far from the sea, and luckily for you, there are many premium online seafood suppliers that carry stone crab. We recommend Stone Crab Club, which is known for its wide variety of stone crab claws and fast shipping directly to your door. Don’t forget to also order some of Joe’s mustard sauce for dipping!
How Much Stone Crab Should You Order?
Before you head over to buy some delicious stone crab claws, it's important to remember that stone crab is only available in claw form; therefore, you’ll have to order it differently than you would other types of crab.
We suggest ordering 1-2lbs per person, and Stone Crab Club makes it easy with their per-person recommendations. Don’t forget to also add the dipping sauces to your basket before placing your order!