Stone Crabs with Honey Mustard Sauce
Stone crab Claws that come from the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida are considered the very best Stone Crab (Menippi mercenaria) available. It is our opinion that the best come from Tampa Bay and to the North of Tampa. The crabs from the Florida Keys seem to be saltier but it is opinion and I have heard it mentioned often. The Stone Crab Claws that are frozen imported from Mexico and South america are indeed saltier and inferior in quality to the fresh cooked Florida Gulf crabs. And they are always freshly cooked (Florida State Law).
I am often asked where is the rest of the crab. Hopefully it is swimming somewhere in the Gulf minus one claw. State law prohibits the taking of the whole crab and it impose the law for the fisherman to remove one claw only. If the crab only has one claw and there are many; the crabber has to throw it back. The law keeps the fishery from collapsing. It does not hurt the crab and it will grow a new claw in a couple of seasons. By the way the season for Stone Crab Claws is October to April.
The claws can be enormous weighing all most a pound for the Jumbo* size.
They are best eaten slightly chilled and not reheated. Freezing and reheating causes the meat to stick some what to the shell. The favorite method of eating these claws in Florida is with honey mustard sauce.
Theses claws are not scored and need to be broken into to get at the meat. The shells are very hard like pottery but they are easy to break if you know the secret. You do not use nutcrackers. Using them causes damage to the meat when the shell finally pops and the meat is crushed. Instead, you use a large tablespoon. Take the claw and place the curve of the claw in the cup of your palm. Rap the claw with the round bottom of the spoon. The claw will break open like a walnut. Remove the meat and enjoy. For the joint parts of the claw, a nut cracker might be easier. You will get the hang of it quickly, It is not difficult to open these claws.
The best way in my opinion to eat these delicious stone crab claws is with honey mustard. Which we can supply for you. Or you can make it yourself by taking the Dijonnaise Mustard Sauce and add honey to it possibly using less mayo and more mustard.
*Ever wonder where the word Jumbo came into being? He was an elephant, a very large elephant , the biggest known in the world 12 feet tall @ 6 tons. He was purchased by PT Barnum in 1882 from the London Zoo. He was hit by a train in 1885 in St Thomas , Canada. His ashes reside in a peanut butter jar in the athletic directors office of Tufts University. Check it out. http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archive/2001/october/tufts150/index/shtml
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