Disagree that they are overrated. Overpriced, yes, especially the last couple seasons. But (most of) the ones we get local and fresh in South Florida are delicious. I buy them at a seafood shack about half a mile from the beach. They get them fresh daily and I buy them and eat them same day.
Totally agree!
Additionally you do not need to crack them with a $100 cracker.
Buy them and the shop will crack them for you for free.
Iāve had them at a couple of high-end seafood places in NYC. Nothing special. Same with king crab legs .
I would need to try them both locally to fairly gauge my like for them .
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normally I wouldnāt let environmentalism affect an eating decision, but one thing that I do love about stone crab claws is that it is a very sustainable fishery. When the crabs are caught, the fisherman cut off the largest of the two claws and throw the crab back to let the claw regrow, which it does.
I agree the taste is nothing spectacular, but fresh stone crab has a texture that is marvelous!
I like to think of it as my favorite sustainable seafood!
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YES
and our local shop has really great sauce (I think it is a tweaked version for Joeās).
We love them but they are definitely a spurge.
I would agree that the sustainability is a huge plus.
My local shop is Finster Murphys. Located on 17th street.
I asked them if they ever get king crab legs. The answer was we have them frozen all year but we get them fresh once a year and we can put you on the list to call when we get them. The 1st time I tried them I was impressed. Sweeter and better texture.
My overly simple rule for seafood (but it might just be my palate), is the colder the water the better the seafood. Seems to apply to fish, shellfish and crustaceans for me.
Hasnāt Fu spent mortgage payments chasing these things?!? ![[rofl.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7452fcd8e675af869f8da01174474a545b03944.gif "rofl"){kind=small}
What a waste of money on my part. I just donāt understand why they are so damn expensive considering they are sustainable. Certainly tasty but price quality ratio is low
Give me live king crab or dungeness any day of the week.
Yes, over priced but not over rated if you have the right vendor. My contact gets them off the boat in the am and I purchase them in the afternoon. They have been scarce this season. Many days I wanted to purchase but not available.
The trick, as I learned 39 years ago when working on a deal in Marco Island, is to sleep 4 hours a day for four days, go out to dinner with an obnoxious counter party who insists you have a drink with him because otherwise you are insulting him, slam down a double 12 year old single malt without a thought, not get a cracker because the obnoxious guy whined too much when they ran out so you gave yours to him, take the claw on your hand, and, feeling absolutely no pain due to scotch plus sleep deprivation, smash it down on the edge of the one inch thick oak captainās table (you know the type) to open it as your life flashes in front of your eyes because you are a third year associate and the partner on the deal is also sitting at the table. Crab juice is flying ever where, pieces of broken shell are lodged in the ceiling, and the meat comes out real easy.
True story. It was 28 years later before I tried them again.
That is the best thing Iāve read on this board today.
I prefer king crab or blue crab. Blues are an arduous task, but the meat is extremely sweet and paired with old bay and pitchers of cheap beer it makes for a fun afternoon.
While considerable more work to access the treasures, Chesapeake bay blue crabs have no equal for flavor IMO.
Agree with no equal; Dungeness far surpasses blue!
My experience with stone crab claws has been awesome when Iāve had them on the east coast (NC/SC/FL) in season. I like taste of Dungeness more, but the stone claws are so easy to work.
+1. I am a fan, and while I can see why not everyone might care for them- this is not the best year to try them for the first time and make a long term judgment call.
Freshness matters as well. We get them all season long here in Dallas, but still I have learned to have them overnighted in from Florida from trusted sources, or to buy them locally at TJs Market (using same or similar trust sources) the day they come in- and eat them the day I bring them home.
āFrom trusted sourcesā = people who really are shipping them out within a day of them coming to shore and getting cooked.
when you get serious about fresh stone crabs. I do not let the fish store crack them As soon as they are cracked they start to degrade. I crack them at home with this.
Iāve never had stone crab claws but I am a fan of blue and Dungeness crabs. One of the few things that makes visits to D.C. bearable is enjoying blue crabs and beer on my sisterās deck.
Blue crabs have stowed away in the ballast tanks of ships from the East Coast and now theyāre a real problem in Spain. I think we should help the Spaniards out with some Old Bay.
Good idea. Iām heading there in June.
I prefer blues to dungeness. Ordering a dozen large on the deck at Cantlerās turns into a two hour zen experience
Had to check this thread out based on the title. And, I have to say, its something Iāve thought in the past.
Iāve only had them a handful of times, and they are fun to look at and the meat to āworkā ratio is good for crab.
But pretty much any other shellfish has better taste for me.
So I donāt bother with them anymore.