Claws are the only part of the stone crab worth eating. They are regal, so swank and expensive that Damon Runyon once joked that they were sold by the carat. Their meat resembles steamed lobster—sweet, pearlescent, and full of juice, especially when served at a balmy temperature that coaxes out maximum marine flavor and with creamy mustard sauce for dipping. Unlike most animals’ limbs, stone crab claws grow back if they are removed. It used to be that only a single claw was harvested from each stone crab pulled out of the water, but studies have shown that if both claws are removed, both will grow back when the crab is returned to the sea. Stone crab season runs from October through May.
The most famous place to eat them is the unambiguously named Joe’s Stone Crab of Miami Beach, a culinary landmark opened by Joe Weiss in 1918. At the time, the place was simply named Joe’s Restaurant and stone crabs weren’t even on the menu. They were, at best, a novelty, and Weiss believed few customers would want to eat them. But once he was convinced to offer them, he soon realized that they could be his trademark. Joe’s is still run by his progeny, and it is a reminder of when Miami Beach was the epitome of fancy-dress glamour.