What to do with frozen stone crab claws?

Fresh, Never Frozen Stone Crab Claws at Holy Crab

Stone Crab season starts October 15th and runs until May 1st. Here at Holy Crab Delivery, we pride ourselves in working exclusively with our fishermen down in the Florida Keys to provide fresh, never frozen stone crab claws to our customers from coast-to-coast.

It is why here at Holy Crab Delivery, we simply shut down all stone crab operations during the off-season. The stone crab, in our opinion, is the most coveted of all crustaceans. We would be doing an injustice to this delicatessen by freezing it before shipping it or serving it locally to our Miami customer base.

Freezing Claws for Summer Months

With that however, we understand that if an order is shipped out of state, or for the clever ones who stock up days before the end of the season to enjoy the claws during the summer months, freezing claws is a viable option.

Ideally, the stone crabs that are to be stored away in the freezer should be vacuum sealed at its highest-pressure setting. The reason we are comfortable in recommending the highest-pressure setting is due to the very hard shell that the claw carries.

If a vacuum seal is not readily accessible, remove as much air as possible in large zip lock bags and store them safely in your freezer. They will be good for 3-4 months, roughly just in time for the next season!

When ready to enjoy, simply transfer them from your freezer to your fridge. You can remove them from the zip lock bags and place the stone crabs in a large bowl, or simply leave them in the original bag and let them rest overnight in the refrigerator. The bowl and/or Ziplock bag is mostly in use to help contain any excess sweat or moister from the thawing process to contain any liquid from spilling in your refrigerator. Please allow up to 24 hours for the claws to thaw out. After that, enjoy!

Fresh stone crabs are good for up to 5 days if properly stored on fresh ice, or in a refrigerator. It is most likely that the stone crabs were roughly caught 24 hours from when you received them, so just keep in mind you have another 3-4 days left to enjoy them. But then again, we doubt it’ll take that long.