With his refrigerated van packed to the brim, seafood wholesaler Vinny Morris kicked off South Florida’s stone-crab season with a delivery blitz last weekend, dropping off hundreds of fresh claws and mustard sauce at 25 South Florida fish markets and restaurants.
The owner of Vinny’s Stone Crab & Seafood has no storefront or overhead, which keeps his prices low: $22 for a pound of medium-sized claws, $32 for large, $45 for jumbo and $50 for colossal. His supplier is Billy’s Stone Crab in Hollywood, which operates two fisheries in Summerland Key and Marathon.
Initial demand has been strong for Morris to deliver claws to clients in Broward and Palm Beach counties — but the harvests were stronger, he said. When his suppliers pulled traps on Thursday, the official start of the 2026-27 stone-crab season, they reported bountiful hauls a week after Hurricane Isaias hammered the Gulf Coast with powerful winds.
“The storm churned up the seas and moved crabs straight into the traps,” Morris told the South Florida Sun Sentinel from the parking lot of one of his clients, Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. “When crabs stay affordable, it’s looking like a good season.”
Local purveyors agree with Morris. Wholesalers, fish market owners and restaurateurs say robust consumer demand and supplies of the crustacean delicacy are keeping prices flat with the start of last season, despite some shortages of medium-sized claws in the opening days and lingering problems with the high cost of diesel fuel.
Peter Jarvis, owner of boutique wholesaler Triar Seafood in Hollywood, said his 700-pound wishlist order for stone crab arrived in full and is bound for shipping to high-end clients. He’s charging $39 per pound for medium, $49 for large, $69 for jumbo and $79 for colossal — about even with last season — prices he suspects would be lower if not for “the frustrating cost of diesel,” which fuels crabbing vessels and delivery trucks that transport claws to his shop.
“I’m just glad the demand is pretty good, pretty vibrant,” Jarvis said. “But if fuel prices stay high, the prices will stay the same. The only way I see prices starting to dive is if stone-crab production exceeds demand, and then you’ll see a butt ton go into the freezer.”
During the 2026-27 season, which continues through May 1, the state’s stone crabs are typically caught in muddy waters along the Gulf Coast, Florida Keys and Florida’s Big Bend, with some fisheries laying traps near Miami and the Bahamas. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission abridged the season by two weeks in 2020 (from May 15 to May 1) and set strict rules on size limits to curb overfishing and give crabs time to regenerate their claws.
Dewey Culbreth, owner of Catfish Deweys in Oakland Park, said the state cutting the season short “gives stone crabs more time to spawn” and grows the industry, which brought in $42.3 million in 2024, according to the most recent data from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Hurricane Isaias’ arrival in early October actually improved the stone-crab haul, argued Culbreth, whose restaurant offered a $105 all-you-can-eat special on Monday. “If the water is calm, stone crabs burrow into the sand and don’t move. Hurricanes churn the waters and motivate them to wander around. You know the signs are encouraging when they show up in lobster traps, too.”
Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Brad Phillips, chef and co-owner of Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, pours out freshly delivered stone crabs for sale. The restaurant is offering an all-you-can-eat special for $99. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Because fresh stone crabs are out of season in the summertime, pent-up demand always crescendos at kickoff with long lines, said David MacLennan, co-owner of Even Keel. Such was the case this weekend, when hundreds of diners booked reservations for the restaurant’s $99 all-you-can-eat special.
“The first hauls are usually more expensive, but the [all-you-can-eat] special matches last year and brings people through the doors,” said MacLennan, who sources claws from suppliers on the Gulf Coast and Florida Keys. “The average person’s going to eat 2 pounds anyway, about 12 medium claws — you just get tired of all that cracking after a while.”
Clay Brand Jr., co-owner of Captain Clay and Sons Seafood Market in Delray Beach, said his claw prices are near where they were last season: $28.99 for medium, $37.99 for large, $51.99 for jumbo and $58.99 for colossal.
Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Even Keel’s Brad Phillips cracks into stone crabs on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
“The medium supply was a bit light, but we got exactly what we wanted,” said Brand, who received all 400 pounds he ordered from fisheries in the Keys and Gulf Coast.
So where can the biggest bargains be found? Call ahead to confirm by-the-pound pricing, but Delaware Chicken Farm & Seafood Market in Hollywood is charging $31.99 for medium, $36.99 for large, $52.99 for jumbo and $58.99 for colossal.
Elsewhere, some prices are higher. Pop’s Fish Market in Deerfield Beach is offering claws at $39.99 for medium, $45.99 for large, $59.99 for jumbo and $65.99 for colossal. Luff’s Fish Market in Boca Raton reported $42 for large, $51 for jumbo and $57 for colossal.
The kickoff to stone crab season will be feted in festival form next month during the South Florida Seafood Festival at Miami’s Wynwood Marketplace. The Nov. 8 event will offer pop-ups from Miami restaurants, as well as live cooking demonstrations, games and live bands. Visit Eventbrite.com.
Sun Sentinel senior features writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com or Twitter/X @philvalys.