Stone Crab Season is Here - Get your Claws while They're Fresh!

It's that special time of year when some of the most delicious foods are prepared and enjoyed. Savory Thanksgiving feasts and decadent Christmas treats are cherished highlights of the holiday season. However, there's another delicious and local delight that deserves honor during these festive months - sweet, succulent Florida stone crab claws.

Though stone crab claws can be served up year-round, they're freshest and tastiest when eaten during season. Stone crab claws are legally harvested in Florida from October 15 to May 1. Locally, you can find stone crabs in Hillsborough Bay, Tampa Bay, and along the Gulf Coast.

Commercial crabbers must register with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and tag all traps with their registration number and personal contact information. Only a single claw is harvested from each stone crab, which the crab is able to regenerate over time. Leaving them with a claw helps the crabs continue to defend and feed themselves. It is customary to throw a crab back into the water if it only has one claw.

A crab's claw must be at least 2 7/8 inches in size in order to be harvested. Recreational crabbers are allowed one gallon of claws per person a day, or two gallons per boat (whichever is less). An egg-bearing crab must be treated with care and returned to the water with all her claws.

Declawing is an important aspect to harvesting stone crabs. If improperly done, the crab may lose its ability to regenerate its claw. In a worst case scenario, the crab can bleed out and die. The key to correctly declawing a crab is to keep the joint that connects the claw to the crab's body intact. This allows a thin layer of tissue to seal the injury and prevents the crab from being fatally wounded. Though it may only take a year for a crab to regenerate its claw, it can take several years for the claw to grow back to its original size. Older, larger crabs may never fully regrow their claws to their original size.

Stone crab claws are usually sold by the pound, according to size - medium, large, jumbo, and colossal. Male crabs provide the largest claws which can be up to 5 ½ inches long. Claws are usually steamed and enjoyed hot or chilled, either spritzed with citrus juice or dipped in butter or mustard sauce. Since the meat is sweet and flavorful on its own, claws are just as yummy when eaten plain.

Local stone crabs are a delicious perk to living near Florida's Gulf Coast. Don't let the season pass you by without enjoying your share of fresh claws.