The Florida Stone Crab
This is a crab known for its claws and a season we look forward to each year. Meet the Florida Stone Crab. These crabs are harvested from the waters of Southern Florida – one claw at a time.
A renewable resource from the water itself, Florida Stone Crabs are harvested exclusively for their claws, which they’re able to regenerate when removed. The Florida Stone Crab season runs from mid-October through mid-March.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA STONE CRAB
The Florida Stone Crab (Menippe mercenaria) is a type of mud crab that burrows into muddy and sandy bottoms near river mouths, estuaries and mangrove forests around the coasts of Southern Florida. The latter provides the perfect space for these crabs, which are secretive in nature and like to hide under docks, mangrove roots or in small holes away from their natural predators like sea turtles, octopuses and grouper.
These crabs typically range in sizes from 5 to 6 ½ inches across their carapace, but it’s their black-tipped claws that really make this crab stand out. It’s the biggest crab you’re likely to find on a Florida beach, with 10 pairs of legs: eight for swimming and two for powerful pinching.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CLAWS
Primarily feeding on clams, oysters, snails and other mollusks, Florida Stone Crabs have powerful claws. Since its primary source of food is locked behind hard shells, these crabs have developed claws that can generate 19,000 pounds per square inch of force when closing.
Unlike other crabs, Florida Stone Crabs are only harvested for their claws which can regenerate, or regrow, if it’s been removed. This means the claw can be harvested and the crabs can be released back into their natural habitats while it grows back, a process that typically takes a year.
HARVESTING THE CLAWS
Florida Stone Crab Season is open yearly from October 15 to March 15. For a claw to be harvested, it now needs to be at least 2 ⅞ inches in length from the bottom section of the claw to the elbow, or first knuckle. Claws are available in a range of sizes from medium (7 to 8 claws per pound) to colossal (1 to 2 claws per pound).
To avoid the meat sticking to the inside of the claws, Florida Stone Crab claws are always cooked right after being harvested and either immediately sold or frozen to be sold later.
While it is legal to harvest both claws from the crab if they meet the size requirements, it’s frowned upon due to the crab’s chance for survival dropping significantly without both. Claws of an egg-bearing female cannot be harvested, and they must be returned to the water immediately.
It’s possible to distinguish between claws that are original and ones that have been regenerated. Here’s how: look on the inner facing side of the claw (propodus). If it’s the original claw, you’ll see a little print with continuous lines that look like a fingerprint. If the lines are broken or dotted, it is a regenerated claw.
Over 98% of the Stone Crab catch in the United States comes from Florida which is overseen by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. As the leader in the fishery management, the FFWCC places limits on trap sizes, as well as number of traps and permits issued. Over 75% of the catch comes from Collier, Dade and Monroe Counties.
FLORIDA STONE CRAB AT WATER GRILL
These delectable claws are sweet and rich in flavor with a firm, dense texture. At Water Grill, we serve Wild Florida Stone Crab Claws chilled in two sizes - Large (3 to 5 claws per order) or Jumbo (1 to 2 claws per order). A mustard dipping sauce accompanies each order. This is a Southern Florida seasonal specialty and a must-try for any crab or seafood lover when available. Check out menus and seasonal availability here.
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Wild Santa Barbara Spot Prawn Season
Shrimp are found all over the world. From saltwater to freshwater, wild, farmed and frozen. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. The list goes on.
Prawns are generally found in freshwater environments.
Spot prawns; however, are not prawns. The Spot Prawn (Pandalus platyceros) is found exclusively in the Pacific Ocean, from the Gulf of Alaska down to Northern Baja California. Named after the paired spots located just behind the head, our California Spot Prawns hail from the Southern California Bight (a 430-mile stretch of curved coast from Point Conception, Calif. to Punta Colonet, Baja California Sur, Mexico), with main ports of entry at Santa Barbara, San Pedro and San Diego.
These shrimps are big, too. The largest in the Pacific, in fact. They can grow upwards of 12 inches (30.5 cm) but most are around 4 to 10 inches (12-27 cm) in length.
It’s in California where spot prawns were initially discovered in the 1930s, hanging out in octopus traps off the coast of Monterey. Today, they’re caught in pot traps to ensure careful handling and effective fisheries management (shoutout to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife).
Spot prawns dwell deep, inhabiting depths of 600 feet to 1,500 feet on soft and rocky bottoms.
LIFE CYCLE
The average life span for a spot prawn is around six years. It’s around year four or five when something magical happens: spot prawns start transitioning from male to female. Spot prawns start life as males, then they join the other team after their first spawn as males. They’re a true example of a hermaphrodite in the natural world, a protrandric hermaphrodite, if you want to get the scientific term spot-on.
Spot prawns spawn once a year, with each individual spot prawn mating once as a male and once or twice as a female. This typically occurs from October through January. That’s the reason spot prawn season is closed during that time.
UNBEATABLE FLAVOR
Spot prawns are a rarity and a delicacy. Careful handling is critical, as they must be enjoyed immediately after they decease. (There’s an enzyme in them that instantly begins decomposing the muscular structure, leading to a “mushy” texture when cooked if not handled properly.)
As finding and preparing spot prawns can be a little, well, spotty, it goes without saying that the best way to enjoy them is fresh from the water. At Water Grill, we fill our saltwater tanks with live spot prawns and prepare them to order, where you can get them as a tempura-fried Nigiri or as a charcoal-grilled entrée.
Spot prawns are delicate and delicious. We may refer to them as delicate, but the firm texture makes them sweet and gives a “pop” of flavor every time you take a bite.
AT A GLANCE:
