When is Stone Crab Season in Florida?
Every October, the seafood lovers of Florida start hearing a specific corner of their stomach growl. A craving for stone crab has been building all summer. Stone crab season is from October 15 through May 1. It invites locals and visitors alike to once again taste these sweet, succulent claws known for their tender, flaky meat and delicate flavor. You can find them at a local seafood shack or on a white tablecloth, and the prices probably reflect the setting, but regardless, stone crab is a must-try for any seafood connoisseur.
Why Stone Crab is So Unique
Stone crab is unique in the way it's harvested. Crabbers remove just one claw from each crab before releasing it back into the ocean, allowing the crab to regenerate the lost limb within a year or two. This makes stone crab an optimally sustainable choice for fishermen compared to other species of crab, or lobster, and it allows the population to thrive while still supplying the market with fresh claws every season.
How to Enjoy Stone Crab
Stone crab claws are typically served chilled with a tangy mustard sauce, letting their natural flavor shine. But that doesn't mean that that's what you have to do. For instance, a little sprinkling of Old Bay (or your preferred crab/seafood spice) will create an entirely new experience. Claws are pre-cooked soon after being harvested, making them easy to enjoy fresh or even take home from a local market to serve yourself. Many people pair them with a crisp white wine, a squeeze of lemon, or a side of coleslaw for a quintessential Florida dining experience.
Catching Stone Crabs in Florida
First of all, if you're looking to catch stone crabs yourself, here are some things to know:
- Trap Limits: You’re allowed up to five stone crab traps per individual. If you have friends or family members also using traps, they can each have up to five, potentially increasing your total capacity.
- Trap Requirements: Traps must have a buoy attached, marked with a legible “R” at least two inches high. This marking is essential for identifying the trap as a recreational one.
- Registration: Recreational harvesters aged 16 and older must complete a no-cost online trap registration.
- Trap Specifications: A maximum of five traps per person is allowed. Each trap must have an unobstructed escape ring 2 3/16 inches in diameter located within a vertical exterior trap wall.
- Bag Limit: The daily bag limit is 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less
- Claw Harvesting: leaving one claw is recommended so the crab can defend itself and continue to feed.
- Checking Traps: Stone crabs aren’t swimming crabs, so you may want to check your traps regularly but not too frequently to allow time for crabs to find and enter them.
- Claw Size: Only claws measuring at least 2 7/8 inches in length may be harvested.
- Egg-Bearing Females: It is illegal to harvest claws from egg-bearing females; such crabs must be returned to the water immediately
If you don't want to catch them yourself, then you can find them at most seafood restaurants or seafood markets in Florida during the season. Since they're fresh catches, size, and availability will vary, as will the price.
Some Good Local Places to Buy Stone Crab Claws
- Steve's Stone Crabs
- Pinder's Seafood & Marketplace
- Outclaws Seafood Restaurant & Market
- Cod & Capers
- Florida Fresh Lobster and Stone Crab
- Independent Seafoods
- Doris Italian Market
Just Here for a Visit?
If you're visiting Florida during stone crab season, and like seafood, then you should try to plan a meal around this celebrated delicacy. Stone crab claws aren’t just a dish—they’re a Florida tradition that highlights the state’s commitment to sustainable fishing and love for our bounty of the sea. Enjoying a fresh stone crab claw is an invitation to experience Florida’s unique flavors and rich heritage.
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