How to Eat Stone Crab Claws

Knife

1). Hold the cooked stone crab claw shell in your hand and firmly hit it with the handle of your knife three or four times. If you hit it too hard you will drive the shell into the meat, but if you don't hit it hard enough the shell won't crack. It may take you a few tries to discover the proper amount of pressure you need to wield in order to crack the shell without damaging the meat.
2). Flip the claw over and hit the other side to make sure it is cracked all the way around.
3). Peel the shell away from the crab meat. You may or may not see a firm piece of white cartilage which separates two large sections of succulent meat.
4). Squeeze lemon juice onto the meat, and dip it in melted butter.
5). Clamp your teeth down on the meat. As you pull the meat away from your mouth, scrape your teeth across the cartilage to collect the meat.

1). Put the cooked stone crab claws in a plastic bag.
2). Hit the claws with a small crab mallet as if you were starting to hit a nail into a wall with a hammer; flip them over and strike the other side with the mallet. Apply enough pressure to crack the shell without shattering it on top of the meat.
3). Brush the shells off the meat and place the crab meat on a plate.
4). Serve with mustard and butter. Dip the meat in the mustard, and pull the meat off the cartilage with your teeth.