As part of my "Are You Smarter than a Stone Crab?" program, I took my class down to Everglades City to visit
Grimms Stone Crabs Inc, a locally owned fish house to learn about the commercial stone crab fishery and its importance in Collier County. We met with Justin Grimms who helps run the business along with his father Howie Grimms. As usual he did a fantastic job explaining what its like to work in the industry and how they operate on a day to day basis. Justin showed the class how they process stone crab claws once they are brought in by local fishermen.
After weighing the uncooked (also known as "green") claws, they are placed in large baskets that can hold up to 375 pound of claws s and cooked at 212 degrees for eight minutes. Immediately after cooking, the claws are placed in a vat of cold water to bring the temperature down to about 64 degrees. This process prevents the meat from continuing to cook inside their shells. Next, the claws are topped with ice and placed in a cooler overnight where they will be individually weighed and graded by weight the next morning.
To give you an idea of how the claws are graded:
Medium: 6-7 claws per pound
Large: 4-5 claws per pound
Jumbo: 2-3 claws per pound
I think it was a first time experience for many of participants, and the fact that many of them bought claws from the Fish House's retail market, I'd say it was a positive one! Enjoy the pictures!
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| Justin Grimms welcomes my class |
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| Justin explaining how claws are processed once they brought in by the fishermen |
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| A student asking Justin how claws are graded |
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| Justin shows the group a batch of uncooked or green claws |
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| A very useful crusher to help break up claws for customers |
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| Examining a claw up close |
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| Justin showing the group how claws can continue to move even after being removed |
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| A batch of freshly cooked claws put on ice |
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| Owner Howie Grimms taking the temperature of a recently cooked batch of claws |
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| Two batches of claws sitting in the fish house's cooler |
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| Participants buying claws from the Grimm's retail store |
As part of my "Are You Smarter than a Stone Crab?" program, I took my class down to Everglades City to visit Grimms Stone Crabs Inc, a locally owned fish house to learn about the commercial stone crab fishery and its importance in Collier County. We met with Justin Grimms who helps run the business along with his father Howie Grimms. As usual he did a fantastic job explaining what its like to work in the industry and how they operate on a day to day basis. Justin showed the class how they process stone crab claws once they are brought in by local fishermen. 
