CORTEZ – Some people wait months for the return of the claw, the local signature delicacy, while others can’t wrap their head around the love of the pricey stone crab.
While some seafood aficionados clammer for bluefin tuna or their favorite caviar, if you’re in Cortez or on Anna Maria Island between Oct. 15 and May 1, it’s stone crab you covet.
Stone crabs are caught in traps that are baited with fish, and, unlike unluckier crabs, only the claws are harvested. It is legal in Florida for fishermen to remove both claws if they are large enough, but some only remove one claw to give the crabs a better chance at survival. After a legal-sized claw is removed, the crab is returned to the water where the lost claw will regenerate after a few molts. Because young crabs molt up to three times each year, they are more likely to successfully regrow their claws than an older crab that only molts once a year.
The harvest can vary greatly each year depending on a multitude of factors, including weather and environmental conditions.
“In the season of 2018-19 when we had red tide really bad, we didn’t have any stone crabs that season,” said Karen Bell, president of A.P. Bell Fish Co. in Cortez. “This year the catches have been steady, mainly enough for local consumption. We’re shipping a little bit out, like north Florida, we shipped a few hundred pounds yesterday. About 600 pounds are being shipped to Atlanta tomorrow.”
Bell says they are getting an average of 400 pounds of claws a day on average, although they have seen as much as 1,000. According to Bell, red tide doesn’t seem to be much of a factor in this year’s harvest, although it could be playing a small part in harvest numbers that are below those of previous seasons.
One thing that has not changed this season is the incredible demand for a delicacy that is among the most expensive you are likely to find at any seafood counter. Other than bluefin tuna, some rare caviar and less than a handful of other exotic seafood, stone crab claws are some of the most expensive sea treats anywhere. Prices this season range from around $30 a pound for the smallest claws to well over $55 a pound for the largest size, known as ‘colossal’ claws. When you factor in the fact that around 65% of the claw is shell and not edible, the actual price of meat yielded will range from $60 to well in excess of $100 per pound. If you order at a restaurant, you could add as much as 40% above the retail price, depending on the establishment.
“I don’t care what they cost, stone crab claws are as much a part of south Florida as people driving with their left blinker on,” joked Martin Evans, who had just finished a meal at Anna Maria Oyster Bar with his fiancée, both of whom shared a stone crab claw appetizer. “It’s not something you order every time you go out, but they’re here and we love them, so today we treated ourselves.”
Bell says A.P. Bell is selling the claws as fast as they can get them and even though the price is up this season, demand is bigger than ever.
“Our prices are up $4 or more a pound from last year and people don’t seem to even blink at that,” said Bell. “I don’t understand it, but the demand is huge and the boats are doing really well because of it.”
If high-priced stone crab isn’t your cup of tea, there’s another fish that keeps Cortez boats busy in the winter months. After the cooler weather moves in, mullet season begins in south Florida.
According to Bell, mullet is the fish that built Cortez.
“Most of the families that came here from the Carolinas were mullet fisherman in North Carolina that came here in the late 1800s; it’s just always been a staple here. Every Friday the families ate mullet,” said Bell.
It’s not just the meat of the fish that makes mullet a favorite in many cultures; the roe (eggs) is considered a delicacy in cultures around the world. Cortez mullet roe is shipped to Taiwan, Italy, Spain and even Egypt.
Bell also noted that while mullet is seen as a low-grade fish by many in the U.S., that is not the case. Mullet is high in omega oils, and in general is a very healthy fish. A great deal of the fish caught in Cortez go to Haiti, Columbia and other destinations south of Florida. Mullet season typically runs from November to January.
It’s stone crab season on the Island, and although the harvest is not what it has been in years past, they are back to the delight of locals and tourists alike.
