Seafood Conundrum (did I spell that right??)

[yankeefaninseattle]

Hey all,

I have just read that Stone Crab season starts in this lovely state of florida on Saturday the 15th. Now, I have been dreaming about eating some real stone crabs since I lived in Seattle, but, frankly, I'm not familiar with this type of crab. They can be bought fresh cooked or frozen, w/ the keys making up 40% of the harvest. They are available till May 15th.
That is all I know... Can anyone help me out with any more information than that?? Recipes, or other seafood types that I can adapt to stone crabs...How long they can be kept in the freezer...What they should look or smell like when I purchase them...Is it a good idea to purchase these what w/ all the hurricanes having turned the ocean upside down this summer...

My other question is about Conch. How do you pronounce it??? And, altho I have seen recipes and cooking styles on Great Chefs on PBS in the past, I really don't know what to look for when buying them in order to even experiment w/ cooking them? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
B.

[auntdot]

Hi Yankeefaninseattle,

Actually you can only buy the claws. When they are caught the claws are torn off the crab and it is tossed back to regrow its claws, at which time they can be harvested again. I guess you can have your cake and eat it too.

The claws are usually cooked shortly after being harvested and can then be frozen.

Used to really enjoy them when we lived in Fla. but don't see them here at all (so I guess we just have to get by with blue crabs - not a bad trade at all). They are most common in the Southern part of the state.

Whether you should buy them with all of the hurricane activity, I am not sure. But have never heard any warnings about doing so.

I prefer them cold or just warmed with melted butter.

As for conch, it is pronounced conk, like a conk on the head. Have only had the meat in fritters, and not cooked with them, so am not a good source on that one.

But hang around, I am sure there are some Conchs who will be dropping by with all sorts of ideas.

[Constance]

I love conch fritters and conch chowder! I sure miss Florida.

[Robo410]

conch (conk) like large chowder clams is a tough dude. like the large clam it needs chopping grinding and then either little or lots of cooking. if chowdering, grind small or the bits will be way chewy. if frittering, cook em fast. conch is sweet and a fave of the caribean islands.

[foodaholic]

I've eaten conch on a boat right out of the ocean,raw.If you
ever get the chance,try it.

[yankeefaninseattle]

Thanks for the info. But, tell me, how do crabs survive in the water w/out their claws??? Seems strange to me to take away what allows them to move, eat & survive.

So, on to the conch, do these things come in shells like abalone, or mussels, basically, are they shellfish?? Would I use clam juice like in clam chowder, or seafood stock, which I should have made w/ plenty of shrimp shells that I always throw away instead of taking Emeril's advice to refreeze ...

B.