Ready to crack into some Florida stone crabs? The first harvests of the season landed at restaurants, wholesalers and seafood markets on Thursday morning, and bargain-seeking buyers have reason to … shell-ebrate: Costs are even with last season, continuing a trend of stable prices set in 2023 and 2024.
Seafood purveyors from Broward and Palm Beach counties are reporting robust hauls and even stronger consumer demand, with some shortages of medium-sized claws in the opening days. So far, crabbing vessels on the Gulf Coast and Florida Keys have pulled traps under clear skies and mild weather, unlike the turbulent storms that affected the start of the 2024 season.
For Peter Jarvis, owner of high-end wholesaler Triar Seafood in Hollywood, cautious optimism over his potential crab haul turned into relief when more than half of his 700-pound order arrived about 10 a.m. Thursday. His new prices: $35 per pound for medium, $45 for large, $55 for jumbo and $79 for colossal — the same price customers paid at the tail end of last season.
“There weren’t as many mediums as everyone expected in the traps, but over all, it’s been pretty good,” said Jarvis, whose Day 1 haul is being shipped out to 700 restaurant clients around the country that had pre-ordered. “Pretty much everything that was caught is already spoken for.”
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During the 2025-26 season, which began Wednesday and continues through May 1, most of Florida’s stone crabs will be caught in muddy waters off the Gulf Coast, Florida Keys and Florida’s Big Bend, with some fisheries laying traps near Miami and the Bahamas. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission abridged its season by two weeks back in 2020 (ending May 1 instead of May 15) to curb overfishing and give crabs more time to regenerate their claws.
Florida law allows harvesting both claws of a crab if they meet the FWC’s minimum-size requirement of 2 7/8 inches. However, taking just one is better for sustainability, said Dave MacLennan, co-owner of Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
At his restaurant, the claws come pre-cracked and served with housemade mustard sauce, dill aioli and lemon.
MacLennan, who’s also grappling with a shortage of medium-sized claws, said he’s asked servers to recommend the large-sized claws all weekend. He is charging $9 per medium claw and $15 per large and has no jumbo or colossal in stock yet.
But he has a tip for savvy buyers: With stone crabs claws, bigger isn’t always better.
“The jumbo-sized claws are not as tender as the mediums and larges, and they can be tougher and stringy,” MacLennan said. “But the larges have more crab meat than mediums and taste sweeter.”
Chef André Bienvenu, who left his job at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach after 26 years to open Catch & Cut in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year, said he received 100 pounds on Thursday but “almost no mediums.”
His theory: “Typically, this means the claws have had more time to regenerate, so you’ll find bigger sizes closer to shore,” said Bienvenu, who’s charging $62 for four large claws and $89 for two jumbos. “We had a feeling the catch would be abundant because our suppliers said the crabs were crawling into the lobster traps, too.”
Compared with restaurants, stone crab prices are cheaper at seafood markets, which sell the crustacean delicacy uncracked and packed on ice. That’s the case at Captain Clay & Sons Seafood Market in Delray Beach, which is charging $31.99 a pound for medium, $39.99 for large, $56.99 for jumbo and $64.99 for colossal.
Pent-up demand always stirs up a frenzy of sales in the first two weeks of stone crab season, but prices often drop by early November, market co-owner Clay Brand said.
“Prices are a bit more expensive than I like them to be by a few dollars, but they should come down in a couple of weeks,” said Brand, who received all 300 pounds he ordered from fisheries in the Keys and West Coast.
So where can the biggest per-pound bargains be found? Call ahead to confirm pricing, but Pop’s Fish Market in Deerfield Beach said they’re charging $29.99 for medium, $45.99 for large, $59.99 for jumbo and $65.99 for colossal.
Not far behind is Delaware Chicken Farm & Seafood Market in Hollywood, with $32.99 for medium, $42.99 for large, $64.99 for jumbo and $67.99 for colossal.
Hunting for all-you-can-eat dinners? Billy’s Stone Crab in Hollywood is selling one for all sizes starting at $140 per person. Meanwhile, Catfish Deweys in Oakland Park has an all-you-can-eat offer of $109 per person.
“It’s looking good so far,” owner Dewey Culbreth said. “The amount of interest so far today tells me I’ll probably sell out an hour before closing time.”
