Stone Crab Season Is Closing: Where to Eat the Last Claws of the Year

Florida’s stone crab season runs October 15 through May 1, with the fishery closing on May 2. The last few weeks of April are the sweet spot: claws are plentiful, kitchens are still in full rhythm, and locals know it’s their last chance to enjoy the season’s best haul before the summer hiatus.

If you live along A1A in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, or Highland Beach, three nearby kitchens do stone crab right when the clock is winding down.

Where to Eat Stone Crab Before the Season Closes

Whale’s Rib, Deerfield Beach

A true Old Florida institution. Whale’s Rib has been serving fresh seafood just steps from the Deerfield Beach Pier for decades, and stone crab is a seasonal fixture on the menu. The vibe is casual and the mustard sauce is the right kind of sharp. While you’re there, don’t miss the famous dolphin Key West sandwich and the rock shrimp, both menu legends in their own right. Show up early, the wait builds quickly on closing weekend.

2031 NE 2nd St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

(954) 421-8880

Casa D’Angelo, Boca Raton

Chef Angelo Elia’s flagship Italian room turns out an elegant take on the season. Stone crab claws arrive perfectly chilled with a refined mustard sauce, paired with a bottle from one of the deepest Italian wine lists in South Florida. White tablecloth, attentive service, the right room for the last claws of the year.

171 E Palmetto Park Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 996-1234

La Nouvelle Maison, Boca Raton

A white tablecloth landmark on Palmetto Park Road. La Nouvelle Maison is the kind of upscale, elegant dining room Boca built its reputation on, polished service, refined French cooking, and a wine list to match. Stone crab is treated with the restraint French kitchens are known for, simple, cold, perfectly cracked, with a house mustard sauce on the side. The right room for a celebratory close to the season.

455 E Palmetto Park Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 338-3003

Want to Trap Your Own?

If you’re tempted to set a few traps off your dock for the final week, here are the rules every recreational fisher should know. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regulations apply to anyone 16 or older.

Free Recreational Trap Registration

Anyone 16 or older using stone or blue crab traps must complete the free online registration before dropping a trap. Visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com and add the Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration to your fishing license account. You’ll receive a unique trap number that begins with the letter S, which must be permanently and legibly attached to every trap along with your full name and address.

Anglers under 16 don’t need to register but still must mark their traps with name and address.

The Rules at a Glance

• Minimum claw size: 2 7/8 inches. Only claws may be harvested.
• Daily bag limit: 1 gallon of claws per person, or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
• Harvest from egg bearing crabs is prohibited.
• Season: open October 15 through May 1; closed May 2 through October 14.
• Traps may go in the water 10 days before opening day, but you can’t pull them until the season starts.
• Maximum 5 traps per person.
• Pull traps manually only, daylight hours only. Trap pullers make your vessel commercial.
• Keep traps out of marked navigational channels in the Intracoastal.

Trap Specs Worth Knowing

• Maximum trap size: 24 by 24 by 24 inches (8 cubic feet).
• Wood, wire, or plastic construction is allowed.
• Throat opening: 5 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches (or up to 5 inches diameter if round).
• Required degradable escape panel: 5 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches in untreated cypress or pine no thicker than 3/4 inch.
• Wire traps need at least three unobstructed 2 3/8 inch escape rings on a vertical side.
• For the 2024-25 season and beyond, plastic and wood traps must include a 2 3/16 inch unobstructed escape ring on a vertical exterior wall.
• Buoys: minimum 6 inches, marked with a legible R at least 2 inches tall. Not required if the trap is fished from a dock.
• Special rules apply within Biscayne National Park.

A Coastal Tradition Worth Catching

Stone crab season is one of the small joys of living on this stretch of coast. Whether you pull your own from a dock on the Intracoastal or post up at Whale’s Rib, Casa D’Angelo, or La Nouvelle Maison for the final claws of the year, the last week of April is the time to do it. The season returns October 15.