It’s a big splash! As we looked to our left, an Intracoastal tarpon leapt out of the water and splashed back under. My attention was so focused on the meal before of me that I hardly noticed the waves. Six delicious stone crab claws were waiting for me on my platter. The shells of the crab I had just devoured were stacked high in a dish at my elbow, and their liquid rolled between my fingers. Patrick and I didn’t talk since we were too focused on extracting the juicy flesh from the tough cartilage. The river was unusually quiet that evening, absent of the usual yacht and dingy activity. After the splash, nothing except the constant zit, zit, pimple of cicadas among the mangrove across the river filled the air.
The return of the boat I work on to Florida during stone crab season is something for which I am quite grateful. Although seafood was plentiful during our year and half spent in the waters of the Mediterranean, I found myself missing stone crabs upon our return. Disney World, beautiful beaches, and seemingly endless strip malls are what first come to mind when most individuals think of Florida. But the stone crab is what I see when I’m thinking of Florida.
Only in the warm seas can you find stone crab. They populate the whole Gulf Coast, from the southernmost point of Louisiana to the Keys. However, their uniqueness lies in the fact that these plants are a sustainable supply. Local crabbers often use baited traps that they toss into the water. The crabs use both claws to lift their prey to the surface. Crabs are returned to the ocean after having one claw painstakingly removed. The crabs suffer no ill effects, and over the course of the next year, they grow back the missing claw and are once again catchable. This means they are a well-managed and sustainable seafood option. I like having stone crabs aboard the boat since there is no catch-and-release and little ecosystem impact.
We travel the globe over doing SCUBA dives from the boat. When I see a crab with one enormous claw and one tiny, still-growing claw skitter over the sandy bottom, I know that we’re back in Florida.
We were headed to Billy’s for the first stone crab of the season, as we always do on the first night of the season. We got the bottomless margaritas, slaw, hash potatoes, and claws. It was a tradition for us and for many others. The claws this year were really delicious and plentiful. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it tasted good.
I would rather not serve broken claws on the boat. The thought of visitors tearing off shells and smearing sauce all over their Versace dresses gives me the willies. Instead, I do whatever they need done. After picking the flesh from the claws, I prepare a crab salad by combining the crab meat with the juice of one lime and Greek yogurt. Using a ring mold, I shape the mixture, then cover it with avocados mousse and the tomato salsa.
Beautiful dishes are essential for impressing visitors on a boat. But taste is priority number one at Billy’s. And there was nothing better than feeling the stone crab juice run down my elbows as I dug into the second helping of all-you-can-eat.
Avocado with Stone Crab Tower
Cracked and cleaned stone crabs weighing 2 pounds
Greek-style yogurt, plain, 1/4 cup
2 tsp. of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 ounce of olive oil
Finely sliced red onion, about a quarter cup
1 tsp. of salt from the sea
Drops of pepper spray
Avocados, 2 of them
1 mL of 100% Pure Lime Juice
1 egg white 2 tablespoons of sea salt
Finely chopped 1 red tomato
1 sliced yellow tomato
One-third cup of chopped red onion
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
Squeeze the juice of half a lime.
1/4 cup water 1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt
Hot sauce, 1 drop
Carefully mix the first six ingredients together, being careful not to overwork the crab. Learn to season to taste. Keep in mind that the heat of the sauce will overpower the flavor of the crab, and adjust
accordingly.
Putting aside.
Whip the egg whites in a spotless stainless steel basin until they form firm peaks. Combine the mashed avocado, lime juice, and salt in a separate bowl. To eliminate any clumps, strain the avocado mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Light avocado mousse may be made by gently folding in egg whites. Assess the acidity level. If more lime juice is needed, add it. Keep in mind that avocados rapidly turn brown, so do this soon before serving.
To make tomato salsa, mix the last eight components together. Taste.
Create a tower of crab in the middle of the dish using a steel ring mold, filling it up three-quarters of its way up the side. Sprinkle some avocado mousse on top. Put three separate mounds of salsa round the base of the tower. Cilantro is a great garnish.