Stone Crab Season Returns as Joe's Opens Its 113th Year

Few dates mean more to South Florida diners than the start of stone crab season. When the season opened on October 15, Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach launched its 113th year of service, reportedly cracking nearly 800 pounds of claws on the first night alone as regulars lined up for a Florida tradition that dates to 1913.

Stone crab is a distinctly sustainable delicacy: fishermen remove just one claw before returning the crab to the water, where the claw can regenerate. The season runs through the spring, and the industry is worth tens of millions of dollars a year to the local economy.

An institution adapts

Joe's, founded by Joe Weiss more than a century ago, remains one of the country's highest-grossing independent restaurants and a rare Miami Beach classic to earn Michelin recognition. In a nod to modern demand, the restaurant has leaned on an online maître d' list to trim its famously long waits. But the ritual is unchanged: cold claws, mustard sauce, and the unofficial start of Florida's high season.

Sources: WSVN 7News; Axios Miami; Hoodline.