Third Coast Cuisine

Fresh Florida stone crab claws will soon be back in seafood markets and restaurants across the Sunshine State.   Stone crab season opened last week and runs through mid-May.  The fishery is closed for five months each year to help protect and sustain Florida's valuable stone crab resource.

Stone crab, Menippa adina and Menippa mercenaria and their hybrids, inhabit bays and estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.  An adult stone crab is easily recognized by its oval-shaped body and two large claws.  The body is dark brownish red with dusky gray spots.  The large claws have shiny black tips and are used by the crab for hunting and for defending itself.  A crab can intentionally drop a claw if the claw is damaged or if the crab is trying to escape from a predator.  The claw will eventually grow back, getting larger each time the crab molts.

The stone crab's ability to regenerate lost limbs makes it possible to harvest the meaty claws without killing the crab.  Florida law forbids the harvesting of whole stone crabs.  Instead, fishermen remove one or both claws and return the live crab to the water, where it can regenerate its lost limbs in about 18 months.  Claws must be at least 2-3/4 inches long to be harvested legally, and claws may not be taken from egg-bearing females.  Claws must be removed carefully, at just the right spot, in order for regeneration to take place.

"The special way Florida stone crab claws are harvested helps assure the long-term sustainability of these species," Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said.  "This seafood delicacy that has been a Florida favorite for generations will continue to be enjoyed long into the future."

Stone crabs are caught using baited traps.  Though stone crabs can be found as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Texas, stone crab claws are commercially harvested almost entirely in Florida.  The majority are harvested off the southern tip of the peninsula from Sarasota to Fort Lauderdale.  In 2009 the top three stone crab-harvesting counties were Monroe, Collier, and Citrus.  Stone crab is one of Florida's top commercial seafood products in terms of dockside value.  Ranking second behind shrimp, Florida's stone crab harvest was worth close to $18 million last season.

Stone crab claws are cooked in boiling water immediately after harvest, on the boat or at dockside, to prevent the meat from sticking to the inside of the shell.  Claws are sold fresh-cooked or frozen.  They come in several size grades based on weight: medium (up to 3 ounces), large (between 3 and 5 ounces), and jumbo (5 ounces and up).  It generally takes about a pound of crab claws to feed one person.

Stone crab claws are usually served in the shell.  One of the most popular ways to serve them is cold on a bed of ice with a mustard dipping sauce, but they are also commonly eaten hot with drawn butter and lime juice.  The firm, sweet meat tastes similar to lobster.  It's extra lean, low in fat, and a good source of protein.

Fresh-cooked stone crab claws should have a mild sea-breeze aroma.  Store them at 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the coldest part of the refrigerator and be sure to use them within two days of purchase.  Stone crab claws without cracks in the shell can be frozen for up to six months.  Thaw frozen claws in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours.  Thawing them in running water or at room temperature will negatively affect the taste and texture.

To crack the shell, use a crab cracker (a tool available at kitchen supply shops and department stores) or the back of a heavy spoon.  Remove the cracked shell pieces, leaving the meat attached to the moveable pincer.  The meat can also be picked from the claws and used in soups, stews, and other dishes.  Approximately 2-1/2 pounds of cooked stone crab claws yield 1 pound of meat.

Florida Stone Crab Recipes

Curried Stone Crab Claws with Hot Marmalade Sauce:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4135.htm

Stone Crab Claws Miami:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4200.htm

Marinated Stone Crab Claws:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4201.htm

Honey Citrus Florida Stone Crab Claws with Hearts of Palm Salad:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4245.htm

Stone Crab Claws with Spicy Golden Mustard Sauce:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4246.htm

Mango Marinated Stone Crab Claws:
http://www.fl-seafood.com/recipes/seafood-4253.htm

Come hell or black water, the party town of South Padre Island, TX will be celebrating their second South Padre Seafood & Music Festival teams with the Rock the Riviera Redfish Tournament for a weekend of food, fun and fishing.  Last year's inaugural event was a huge success and this year's festival promises to be even better.



 The 2010 Festival Features:

    * Two outdoor stages of continuous live music from Texas’ hottest acts.
    * A large variety of delectable seafood and sides from the coastal region’s most esteemed seafood restaurants and vendors.
    * Classic festival food fare including hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage on a stick, funnel cakes, turkey legs, fajitas, etc.
    * An eclectic variety of coastal and Texas art presented by Texas artisans from near and far.
    * A kids village, complete with a live music stage, games, and lots of activities designed specifically for the younger music aficionados. Games, rides, face painters, etc.
    * Gibson Guitars presents "SPI School of Rock". Let your little ones jam on one of many guitars and drums and learn from the pros.
    * Celebrity chef exhibitions.
    * Family fishing tournament with cash prize brought to you by the Texas Saltwater Series and televised on Fox Sports.
    * Contests and games.
    * Side stage catered VIP areas. VIP fishing trips with artists. Air conditioned VIP lounges with air conditioned bathrooms.
    * Beaches, swimming, and surf within walking distance.
    * Peel and eat shrimp contest Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 6pm  And Crab Races on Saturday at 1:30
    * Kids 8 & under are FREE.
    * Tiered travel and hotel packages offered by SouthPadreTrips.com designed to fit even the tightest budget.
    * Discounted festival airfare available through American Airlines.
    * Preferred festival lodging provided by Sheraton Beach Hotel & Condominiums, Isla Grand Resort, & Travel lodge.
    * Benefiting Sea Turtle Inc. whose work helps protect, rehabilitate, and conserve endangered sea turtles.
    * "Ride the Wave" up and down the island for free. The Wave will pickup/drop off in front of your hotel all for free, courtesy of SPI. The Wave will run until 2:30 am.

For a list of musical guests click HERE.

When?
October 1st 5pm-2:00am & October 2nd 11am-2:00am

Where?
South Padre Island
Convention Center Outdoor Stages
7355 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597

Price?
$20/Day in Advance,
$40 Two Day Pass,
$300 VIP Badge
Kids 8 & Under are FREE

Letter from the CEO of Wintzell's Oyster House

Dear Valued Guests,

Since our 1938 founding in Mobile, Alabama, Wintzell’s Oyster House has been known for serving fresh, high-quality Gulf Coast seafood. We have sustained this reputation over the years due to our long-standing relationships with our area’s seafood suppliers.

In light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we want to remind you that we will continue to support area seafood distributors as well as uphold our commitment to serve the highest quality products available. Furthermore, we want to stress that Gulf Coast seafood is still available from our suppliers and is as safe and delicious as ever.

Catching, preparing, and eating fresh seafood are part of our unique lifestyle here on the Gulf Coast and, at Wintzell’s Oyster House, we are doing our part to help preserve this way of life during the oil spill crisis. Thank you again for your continued patronage and patience as we all go through these uncharted waters.

Thank you,





Bob Omansky
President, Wintzell's Oyster House

So last night I ate at my first stereotypical Gulf Coast seafood restaurant since the Deepwater Horizon accident in late April.  This is not a review therefore I will not give the name or the location of the family-owned eatery.  After all, it was not their fault.

Unlike my dining companion, the events of the past two months effected what I ordered.  The special that night was all-you-can-eat fried catfish.  Fresh water cats, mind you, most likely from one of the farm ponds in the neighboring county so that is the direction I went.  My associate opted for the seafood platter with the aforementioned catfish plus oysters, shrimp, crab claws (a Gulf Coast delicacy) and a stuffed crab.

The first thing we noticed when the plate arrived was the size of the oysters.  They were minuscule; they were wee.  Then there was the flavor.  I had tasted oysters like that before - they were clearly from the Pacific.  I want to go on record as saying that our friends on the Pacific Coast enjoy fantastic seafood.  The wild salmon is amazingly healthy and the Dungeness crab is mystical.  But for the most part, Pacific oysters are not very good.  There's a reason why chef's who do not work in coastal areas prefer Gulf oysters for their menus; they're just better.  Well, were.

The shrimp, however, were plump and juicy with perfect texture just not a lick of flavor.  I mean nothing, no flavor that identified them as shrimp or seafood or even protein.  Most likely the shrimp had come from some toxic chemical laden pond in Asia.  They most assuredly would never pass USDA inspection.  How lucky for the importer that the USDA never bothers to inspect Asian seafood.  Next came the crab claws.  They were large and fried golden brown but the texture was dry.  Of course that could be from either overcooking or quality but the flavor ended any discussion as to which.  Crab should never taste like fish.  And as for the stuffed crab - it was not much bigger around than a silver dollar.

We spoke for a while with the owner, a hard working 30-something most likely of Vietnamese decent.  "We haven't seen you in here for a while.  Glad you come back."  Many of her regulars have stopped coming as often as well.  Some are taking a hit in the wallet because there haven't been any tourists spending money wherever they work for a living.  Others have tasted this, whatever this is that now passes for seafood and won't return.  She used to have a lunch buffet, the price of seafood most certainly made it unprofitable.

To you, Midwesterners, I now have greater respect for your plight - you have to eat this crap all the time.  But people do not visit Lincoln or Tulsa or Kansas City just to get a soft-shell crab po'boy - they go there to eat a truly magnificent steak.  No upstate New Yorkers vacation in Biloxi for the hot wings.  And I'll be the first to admit that nobody comes to Alabama for our Manicotti (except mine, of course, which is dreamy). People visit the Gulf Coast because it embodies the good life - relaxed atmosphere, fantabulous seafood and shockingly white beaches with emerald surf.  All of that is gone.  Not for two or three years but for most us, the rest of our lives.

Imagine that for a second; see if you can grasp it.  You in L.A., what if you could never get avocado or an In-N-Out Burger ever again?  Mr. Windy City, you can forget ever splitting a deep dish with the guys on the bowling team or slamming another Italian beef for the rest of your life.  From hence forth there were no pastrami in Manhattan, no cheese steak in Philly or no ribs in Memphis.  Take the theme parks from Orlando, the music from Nashville, the NASCAR from Charlotte.  Somebody tell Seattle that Pearl Jam is moving to Oakland and they're taking coffee with them.

That is life on the Gulf Coast.  Our food, our heritage and our culture are now on the endangered list.  We are relics waiting for a museum.  Our region is now stripped of its soul even as we battle against the inevitable in a Quixotic attempt to save what little remains.

And what makes this pill all the more bitter is that it is not our fault.  We did not do this to ourselves nor was it an act of nature.  Someone (BP) made this happen.  Then someone else (the government) made it worse.  BP, through their own greed and apathy, gambled with our livelihoods and came up snake eyes.  Either by incompetence or malice, the government has failed to act or even acknowledge it's responsibility.  Well, on behalf of everyone on the Gulf Coast I would like to offer a very sardonic "thank you" to BP and President Obama.  You have turned the entire Gulf South into an Applebee's.

The small fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama was made famous in the movie Forrest Gump as the hometown of Forrest's Army buddy Bubba.  After leaving Vietnam Gump ventured down to the Bayou to fulfill Bubba's dream of owning a shrimp boat.  Winston Groom, the author of the book the movie was based on, is a native of Mobile County and picked the tiny town because it was a city built on commercial fishing.

Since 1949 Bayou La Batre has observed the Blessing of the Fleet, both a religious and cultural observance.  The festival has evolved over the years to include arts and crafts displays, hot seafood plates, a court made up of young lasses plus the two biggest draws a gumbo cook-off (more on that next week) and the boat parade.  The Mardi Gras flotilla will parade from the dock at St Margaret's Catholic Church to the mouth of Bayou La Batre and back.

The Blessing Mass will be held at 11:00 AM and is lead by the Archbishop at St. Margaret's who offers the following prayer:

May God in Heaven fulfill abundantly the prayers which are pronounced over you and your boats and equipment on the occasion of the Blessing of the Fleet. God bless your going out and coming in; The Lord be with you at home and on the water. May he accompany you when you start on your many journeys: May he fill your nets abundantly as a reward for your labor; And may he bring you all safely in, when you turn your boats homeward to shore.... Amen

This year they will be raffling off a Fleet Blessing Quilt.  The images on the king-size quilt were hand embroidered by ladies of the parish. Three decorative pillows, each bearing a scene, come with the quilt.  The Blessing of the Fleet takes place Sunday, May 2nd 2010 at St. Margaret's Catholic Church located at 13790 South Wintzell Avenue.  For more information and a schedule of events visit the web site.

Fish Dish: Blackened Swordfish with Cajun Rice and Crème Fraîche Tarter Sauce.

Contrary to popular belief "blackening" food is not an age old Cajun or Creole cooking technique. It is, however, born from the imagination of one of America's most important chefs, Paul Prudhomme.

Blackened anything has been seen on menues across the nation ever since Chef Prudhomme made Blackened Redfish the signature dish at K Paul's, his famous French Quarter restaurant. The techinque is as risqué for the cook as it is for the dinner as it temps both with high heat and a touch of danger.

The first thing you should do when attempting any blackened dish is open the closest window and turn your hood vent to HIGH. Coat your swordfish generously with blackening seasoning (Paul Prudhomme's is available at your grocer or make one from scratch, the recipe for mine follows). Heat an iron skillet to medium-high to high, it should be smoking. Although traditional technique uses clarified butter, the purpose of this is to keep the dish healthy so I used canola oil, about 3 tablespoons. Add the swordfish; there should be LOTS of smoke.

After about 2 to 3 minutes turn your fish; it should looked nearly burnt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. If you are cooking on electric you may want to remove the pan from the burner for about 30 seconds until the temprature levels out. Remove the fish to a plate. Add finely diced onions, celery and bell pepper to the pan and saute briefly before adding brown rice. Toss until heated through and season with a pinch more of the blackening seasoning.

The tarter sauce was easy. I added a tablespoon of Mrs. Renfro's Hot Chow Chow to 3 tablespoons homemade Crème Fraîche. Using the same ratio you can add pickle relish to mayo to make a less fancy tarter sauce.

Blackening Seasoning from Third Coast Cuisine

6 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon each finely ground black pepper, finely ground white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt
Mix together and store in an airtight container.

I have been living on the south end of Mobile County now for two years and I finally made it over to Tilman’s Corner to try Neighbors Seafood & Chicken.

Friends and family both have long applauded this local staple and for good reason. I found the atmosphere a little sterile but the food more than made up for it. Though I was dining too late to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat catfish and flounder I did order a seafood combo with both fish plus fried oysters to boot with o-rings and red beans and rice.

I expected two fillets, one of each fish and three oysters along with the obligatory breaded onions so prevalent these days and a spicy mix of Louisiana long grain rice and red beans. Quite reasonable for the price. What arrived was what the Italians call frutti di mare, the fruit of the sea.

There were two catfish fillets and three of flounder. Also hidden under the catfish were the three oysters, no wait four! Make that five perfectly fried oysters. The fillets were fresh and crispy. The red beans and rice did not stand up to the rest of the meal; they tasted like canned beans and steamed rice with no seasoning. The onion rings, by contrast, were the stuff of legend – the real deal. Also underneath the fried bounty was a small handful of fries, presumably there to absorb any extra oil but they were consumed regardless. The plate was accompanied by two hush-puppies and a solitary fried crab claw. I do not know if the claw was a fortuitous faux pas or lagniappe but it I do know it was yummy.

There is one criticizm of Neighbor’s, their drive-thru is the slowest ever. Figure on 10 minutes per car in line. If you are the only customer you will be there 10 minutes. If there are two cars in front of you then you will be there for 30 minutes, five cars = an hour. The drive-thru is so slow that they really should discount the menu prices or include a $5 dollar gas card.

Other than the drive-thru, the service is prompt and amiable and as asserted above the food is terrific. I will defintely put this on my list of quality spots.

Neighbors Seafood & Chicken
5830 Three Notch Rd
Mobile, AL 36619


Originally published at the Azalea City Food Blog on MArch 10, 2009.