Ingredients
Stone crab
Other Names: Kani (Japanese); steinkrabbe (German).
General Description: Stone crabs come from the southern United States, especially Florida, and get their name from their rocklike oval shell. Three species are harvested: the
Florida crab (Menippe mercenaria_); the Gulf crab (_M. adina); and a hybrid of the two. The crabs are captured with traps and only one of the large, orange-tinted, black-tipped claws can be kept. If removed correctly, the crab can regenerate its claw in about three molts, 1 year to 18 months. It is illegal to land whole stone crabs. Stone crabs were made famous by Joe’s Stone Crabs in Miami, Florida, which sells an enormous number every year, served cold with mustard sauce.
Locale and Season: Stone crabs are found only in the United States along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Texas to the Carolinas, but almost all the commercial harvest is from Florida. Stone crab season runs from October 15 to May 15, though they are also frozen.
Characteristics: Claws are classified from medium (about 7 per pound) to the far rarer colossal (1 to 2 per pound) and are purchased already cooked and chilled. The shells turn orange when cooked. The raw meat is grayish-white; the cooked meat is white, mild, firm, succulent, and a bit stringy.
How to Choose: Stone crab claws must be cooked immediately after harvest to prevent the meat from sticking to the inside of the shell and often have a slight sea odor.
Check that the claw meat is free of the shell.
Storage: Store 1 day at most in the refrigerator, covered with damp newspapers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Do not leave at room temperature. Thaw frozen claws in the refrigerator overnight.
Preparation: Claws are sold already cooked. Crack them with a mallet, hammer, or nutcracker. Serve with drawn butter and lemon, or mayonnaise and lime, or dill and lime vinaigrette.
Suggested Recipe: Joe’s Stone Crab–Style Mustard Sauce (makes 1 1/4 cups): Combine 1 tablespoon dry mustard with 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon A.1. steak sauce, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and salt
and pepper to taste, mixing until creamy and smooth. Serve with chilled stone crab claws.
Flavor Affinities: A.1. sauce, butter, cream, curry, dill, garlic, key lime, lemon, lime, mustard, olive oil, Pickapeppa sauce, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
