THE STONE CRAB (Menippe Mercenaria).
This crab is found in the western North Atlantic, from North Carolina to Belize, including Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas and is widely caught for food. This crab has very powerful claws and can crush shells. It can be easily identified by its black tipped claws.
The stone crab's carapace is 5 to 6 1/2 inches (7 to 9 cm) long and about 5 inches (10 cm) wide in larger specimens. They are brownish red with gray spots and a tan underside, and have large and unequally-sized chelae with black tips. In addition to the usual sexual dimorphism exhibited by crabs, the female stone crabs have a larger carapace than males of a similar age, and males generally have larger chelae than females.
Stone crabs prefer the bottoms of bays, grass flats, oyster reefs, and rock jetties where they can burrow or find refuge from predators. Juveniles do not usually dig burrows, but instead hide among rocks or in seagrass beds. It is dark brownish-red with gray interspersed. The claws are hinged, very dark, and banded with red and yellow. Adult Florida stone crabs make burrows in mud or sand below the low tide line, lying in wait for prey. Stone crabs feed on oysters and other small mollusks, polychaete worms, and other crustaceans. They will also occasionally eat seagrass and carrion.
Sexual maturity is reached at one year. They must wait for the female to molt her exoskeleton before they can mate. After mating, the male will stay to help protect the female for several hours to several days. The female will spawn four to six times each season.Their long spawning season lasts all spring and summer, during which time females produce 500,000 to 1 million eggs. The larvae go through six stages in about 36 days before emerging as juvenile crabs. Their lifespan is seven to eight years.
TASTE THE CLAWS
Sweat. Succulent. Meaty. Delicious. Sustainable.
The Stone crab is a dream for seafood lovers, as anyone who’s ever been equipped with a claw-breaker and some mustard sauce dip (mustard with mayonnaise or sour cream, and add-ins like parsley flakes, Worcestershire or A-1 Sauce, and salt and pepper; more adventurous chefs sauté the meat from stone crab claws in a hot dip made from orange marmalade, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, butter, and curry powder). Stone Crab laws are One of Belize’s tastiest and most unique gastronomic treats.
