KEY LIME CRAB SAUCE
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard
2 teaspoons fresh key lime juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon A1 sauce
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
Instructions:
Mix the wasabi and mustard in a small bowl, smoothing
out any lumps. Whisk in the key lime juice, Worcestershire
sauce and A1 sauce. Whisk in the mayo until smooth.
Finally, whisk in the sour cream one tablespoon at a time
until it’s light and creamy.
Refrigerate at least one hour.
Serve with chilled stone crab claws.
of crab shell will stink to high heaven the next day. There are
lots of tools and techniques. We use a lever device made just
for stone crab claws, which you can buy at seafood markets
and online.
The key is to get a single, clean break in all three sections
of each crab claw. You don’t want to crush the shell into the
meat. It’s like biting into a shard of glass. When done right,
gently pull apart each section to reveal whole hunks of saltysweet,
HOLIDAY 2021: 61
succulent meat.
I look forward to our stone crab claw feast all year. There’s
nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a meal we caught
and cooked for ourselves. We give thanks for family and
friends, the great state of Florida and this delectable meal. As I
look around the table, there’s always more than one black and
blue finger, but so far, all digits are accounted for.
grab each crab and coax them into giving up a claw.
A stone crab looks like a bouncer, with pumped-up, oversized
claws folded in front of its body, and little eyes peering out
above them. The two claws look different. One is a crusher claw,
usually the larger of the two, and often on the right side. That’s
the one that can inflict 19,000 pounds of pressure per inch,
about four times more than a crocodile. The other, more tapered
claw, is the pincer claw. They use it to cut and tear prey. If there
is an unbroken fingerprint just below the bottom pincer, this
means it is an original claw that has never been regenerated.
To handle stone crabs, wear sturdy, protective gloves. To
properly declaw them, hold them at the base of each claw
where it meets the carapace. The key is to apply firm pressure
at just the right spot, which triggers them to release the claw.
With the right technique, the crab has a much better chance
of survival and can regenerate. While legally both claws can
be taken, it’s rare to find a crab with two of legal size, and the
state conservation commission encourages harvesters to take
only one claw so the released crab will be able to defend itself
from predators.
Toby Rose of
Fort Pierce
makes sure he’s
wearing gloves
when handling
live stone crabs.
WATCH THE FINGERS
The second option is diving for stone crabs, using snorkel or
scuba gear. If you like a thrill and don’t mind sticking your arm
in a hole in the sea floor, this might be for you. Stone crabs
are harder to spot than spiny lobsters. There are no tell-tale
antennae hanging out of their burrows. After a while you get
an eye for what the holes look like, but then you’ve got to be
sure it’s a stone crab living in there. We’ve seen moray eels
and many other creatures in the holes, so definitely take a look
before you reach inside.
All stone crab claws have to be cooked the day they’re
caught. If not, the meat will stick to the shell and be difficult
to crack. For perfectly cooked stone crab claws, boil the
claws between eight and 12 minutes, depending on the size,
then immediately plunge the claws into ice water. Keep them
submerged in the ice with a plate or pot lid. Allow them to sit
in the ice bath for at least 20 minutes, then drain them well
and refrigerate. If you buy the claws from the seafood market,
they’re always pre-cooked, and you may as well have them
cracked for you, too.
We like to crack all the claws at the fish cleaning table rather
than at the dinner table. It’s a messy job, and one stray bit