Joe’s Stone Crab

11 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139

I owe a big thanks to Man vs Food. While it is easy to denounce this show as America at its worst, the host does dive in to the things that make the cities he visits unique from a food perspective.

When he isn’t gorging on 48oz steaks or 5lb Burritos, Adam Richman is visiting places like Joe’s Stone Crab. Joe’s first opened as a beach shack in 1913 and has grown to an icon on Miami Beach. Its success comes from one thing, being the first to figure out how to cook the Florida Stone Crab. Florida Stone Crabs have a massive crusher claw and Joe’s trap their own crab, remove the crusher claw and returns the crab to sea allowing it to re-grow. Interestingly these claws do molt so it is a harmless and sustainable practice

Word of this crab mecca spread amongst the group of Australians I was travelling with and all wanted to join me on this crab feast. This presented a small challenge since Joe’s does not take reservation's and getting 12 diners to a table meant a wait, but their front of house did a good job managing us and before we knew it we were seated and getting a lesson in Crab 101.


FLORIDA STONE CRAB

The waiters are all old hands and know how to manage a table, they know people are there for crabs and their job is to make it easy. Plates of Stone Crab claws, Alaskan Crab, fried tomatoes and hash browns were coming to us thick and fast.

ALASKAN CRAB LEG

We had the good fortune of being their 2 weeks in to the season so we were able to enjoy the Jumbo claws. These claws once shelled were the size of a magnum ice cream and were sensational. The texture is light and flaky with a unique flavour and paired well with the mayonnaise dipping sauce.

We also had Alaskan crab legs that were served hot and cooked over a char grill. These were equally as delicious. The meat pulled away from the claw easily had a really nice texture and had a fantastic flavour.

The end result was as much top quality crab as we could eat with sides, drinks and tip for $80. A bargain and another must visit for anyone with the slightest liking for crustaceans.

Joe’s Stone Crab – 15/20