Update: I did make it to Joe's for lunch today. I was very happy that Sweet Willie PM'ed me to remind me about Lettuce Entertain You gift cards; I'd forgotten that Joe's in Chicago was a LEYE restaurant, and I have some LEYE gift cards that my mom gave me. Nothing like a $60 lunch for free when one is unemployed!

I had the stone crab appetizer and the seared ahi salad. The stone crab was good, but I'd be hard pressed to tell you how it was different from regular crab. Note that I have probably ordered regular crab in a restaurant maybe once or twice in my life, so it's entirely possible I just don't remember regular crab. As a rule, I'm just not a shellfish guy.

Fish, on the other hand, is one of my favorites. The ahi was seared rare, and the salad was really good: mixed greens, string beans, and chopped cucumber in an Asian gingery dressing.

And a glass of pinot grigio. Because why not.

I have two words about stone crab:

OVER.

RATED.

OKay, so maybe it's just one word...but I am thinking of the college football chants.

But I have had had stone crabs about 4-5 times now. I don't think that there really is anything special about them. I agree with gfunkdave; they don't taste any different from any other crab.

Certainly, it's fine. Nothing wrong with them. But I wouldn't pay the exorbitant prices that they ask for a certain restaurants. They just taste like any other crab. Being in San FRancisco, we get lots of dungeoness crab. I don't think the meat really tastes any different. No better. No worse. I don't see what the hype of stone crab is all about.

1. I find stone crab cleaner and easier to eat.
2. It is plentiful and no reason to pay those extreme prices for it, esp when in south florida
3. I don't find it better or worse than other kind of crab by taste, and never said as much.

I like king crab, snow crab, blue crab...I like crab!

I think that may be the issue for you. I personally think there is a very large difference in the way various crabs taste.

+1

There are. Just as an oyster is not just an oyster. There's a marked difference in oysters depending on their source.

But, personally I'm thrilled for all the 's on stone crabs.

Doesn't change my opinion one iota, leaves more supply for those who appreciate them and helps keep the prices in the lower stratosphere.

+2

If stone crab is fresh, and cooked just right (meat should not stick to the inside of the shell), the flavor is very distinct and sweet.

The only time I've ever eaten stone crab that tasted plain or off was the off-season frozen stuff stored over summer or imported from South Africa which is definitely not fresh Florida stone crab.

Avoid eating stone crab served before early-November or after late May.

I think they taste different from other crabs. IMHO, their main attraction is one easy-to-eat ginormous claw chock full of flesh.

OT: They are also known as thunder crabs in Singapore.

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfac.../hardwicki.htm

I have had Miami stone crab, San Francisco dungeoness crab, Maryland blue crab, Shanghai hairy crab, and Alaskan king crab.

Are there subtle differences? Yes.

Are those differences that dramatic that I would pay more for stone crab legs? No way.

But I am not a crab connoisseur. However, I am open-minded. I've tried stone crabs on 4 separate and distinct occasions, each time thinking I must have had a bad batch prior. But each time, I am disappointed. I think, "What's the big deal with these things? They taste just like any other crab."

The question is, where/when did you have them and how were they prepared?

I can understand if someone prefers some other type of crab, but I can't really understand how someone wouldn't think there was a fairly significant difference between stone and say dungeoness.

Boiled and cracked out of the shell.

in Florida or somewhere else?
In season or out?
Served warm or cold?


Stone crabs are cooked immediately after being caught but are usually not frozen, while most other crabs eaten in the US are flash frozen at sea. As such stone crabs need to be eaten in season and very soon after being caught, while king, snow, and dungeoness etc are pretty good and consistent no matter when or where you have them.

Florida
In season
Cold

Joe's stone crab

Probably the problem Joe's is seriously over rated.

A nice sustainable fishery. Legal harvesting in the U.S. means that claws can only come from male crabs, and the smaller claw must be of a certain size (so the crab can feed/defend itself). The crabs grow back the claws and are said to be good for 3-5 cycles.

Last time I had stone crabs was buying it from a fisherman near Cape Coral in Fort Myers. Previously I used to go to Everglades City from Marco Island but that outlet decided to go wholesale only.