Stone Crab Season Brings Waterfront Dining Options Across Southwest Florida
Stone crab season runs from Oct. 15 to May 1 across Southwest Florida. Everglades City restaurants and markets now serve the claws that made this fishing village known as the…
Stone crab season runs from Oct. 15 to May 1 across Southwest Florida. Everglades City restaurants and markets now serve the claws that made this fishing village known as the "Stone Crab Capital of the World."
Triad Seafood Market & Cafe at 401 W. School Drive has operated for over 40 years. This family-owned business started an all-you-can-eat option in 2007 along the Barron River.
City Seafood Restaurant & Market at 702 Begonia St. offers claws at market prices. This waterfront location offers a full bar and an on-site seafood market.
Camellia Street Grill at 202 Camellia St. W. serves boat-to-table menu items. Stone crab tacos, stone crab bisque, and plain claws are featured on the menu.
Grimm's Stone Crab at 919 Dupont St. works with local fishermen to bring in catches without freezing them. Multiple sizes of claws are sold with homemade mustard sauce, available for purchase by phone order.
Captain Morgan's Seafood Grill Corp. at 102 S. Copeland Ave. serves claws with homemade sauce through May 1. This family-owned restaurant will prepare customer-caught fish with three side dishes.
Naples offers seven locations serving crab during the season, including Kelly's Fish House Dining Room at 1302 Fifth Ave. S., Truluck's at 698 Fourth Ave. S., Seed to Table at 4835 Immokalee Road, Captain and Krewe at 628 Eighth St. S., Pinchers at 1200 Fifth Ave. S., Wynn's Market at 141 Ninth St. N., and Kirk Fish Co. at 417 Papaya St. on Marco Island.
In Fort Myers, Phuzzy's Boat Shack at 3051 Stringfellow Road in St. James City, Blue Dog at 4597 Pine Island Road in Matlacha, Skip One Seafood at 15820 S. Tamiami Trail, Dixie Fish Co. at 714 Fishermans Wharf on Fort Myers Beach, and Cabbage Key at Channel Marker 60 in Pine Island Sound, all serve stone crab.
Florida provides 99% of all stone crabs harvested in the country. Regulations allow only claws measuring two and three-fourths inches from the joint to the tip during the season.
Fishermen release the crabs after removing their claws. This makes them a renewable resource. The crustaceans begin regrowing claws within 30 to 90 days.
