Cold-boiled stone crab claws served with mustard sauce. Reservations recommended on weekends. The chef sources from local Florida producers.

Florida stone crab is a sustainable fishery in which only the larger claw is taken from the live crab, which is then returned to the water to regrow the claw. The fishery is regulated October 15 to May 1. Joe's Stone Crab in Miami built the regional reputation in 1913; Tampa carries claws at the Sparkman Wharf fish counters and Tampa restaurants like Ulele and Bern's serve them in season.

Where to eat Florida stone crab claws in Tampa

4 editor picks for Florida stone crab claws in Tampa, ranked by editorial score. All Tampa signature dishes · Florida stone crab claws across every city.

  • Bern's Steak House

    Order Dry-aged Delmonico medium rare with French onion soup and a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar after dinner.

    Bern's Steak House in Tampa's Hyde Park has dry-aged beef in house since 1956 and pours from the largest restaurant wine cellar in the world.

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  • Lilac

    Order The chef's tasting menu with the whole grilled fish course and the mezze opening.

    Lilac at the Tampa EDITION hotel runs Chef John Fraser's Mediterranean prix-fixe menu with Greek heritage, locally sourced ingredients and an open-kitchen.

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  • Ulele

    Order Charbroiled oysters with paprika butter, pompano off the barbacoa.

    Ulele on the Tampa Riverwalk in Tampa Heights cooks native-inspired Floridian fish, alligator and pompano over a 10-foot open barbacoa grill.

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  • The Pearl

    Order Half-dozen seasonal oysters, the dry-aged burger and whatever pie is on the rotating dessert menu.

    The Pearl on Water Street in Tampa is Cameron Mitchell's downtown gastropub, an oyster room and tavern with a pie-only dessert menu by an in-house pastry.

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Make it at home

Serves 430 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 16 large or jumbo Florida stone crab claws, pre-cooked from the fish market
  • Mustard sauce: 120ml mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp Coleman's English mustard powder
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Stone crab claws come pre-cooked from the fish market (they are boiled at sea immediately after harvest). Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator until cold, at least 2 hours.
  2. Use the back of a heavy knife or a wooden mallet to crack each claw at the wide joint and along the shell, but leave the shell on (do not remove the meat in advance).
  3. Whisk mustard sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust mustard intensity to preference.
  4. Arrange the cracked claws on a chilled platter with the mustard sauce in a small bowl in the center.
  5. Serve immediately. Eat by pulling the meat from each cracked claw and dipping in the mustard sauce.

Editor tip. The mustard sauce is the Joe's Stone Crab recipe close approximation. Never serve stone crab claws hot; they are always served cold.

Common allergens: Shellfish.