October 17, 2025

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Get Cracking, Sarasota — Stone Crab Season Is Back!

Time once again to enjoy these tasty Gulf treats!

🦀 A True Local Delicacy. Every year on October 15th, the bell rings. It’s time to put on those bibs and stock up on Wet-Naps. From now until May 1st, you’ll be able to dine on one of our area’s most anticipated culinary treats. Yes, it is officially stone crab season!

📈 Make a Plan! If you’re anything like me, you’ll get that first burst of crustacean enthusiasm right about now. I don’t like to be there right out of the gate. But I’ll certainly be in the first wave of eaters. It’s just really hard for me to hold back.

We’re lucky. We’ve got some fantastic stone crab resources here in town. Yes, you will be able to catch them as a special on lots of local menus (ideas towards the end). But there are places where stone crab isn’t an afterthought, it’s the main thought!

🤔 The Dilemma. Relax, deep breath here, this isn’t a serious problem. Well, at least not on the scale of “real” problems. (Ten being life or death. One being what color socks should I wear today, if any!) This is more of a personal preference situation.

There are a couple of ways that you can have your crabs served. I will tell you this stone crab fact. People in each of these two camps are pretty firm about their loyalties. Here are the two basic choices:

1️⃣ Warm – Served with melted butter.

2️⃣ Cold – Served with mustard sauce.

We Want to Hear From You! How do you like your stone crabs? We’ll publish the results next week.

OK – Here we go! Let’s look at three great places to feast. 📝 Like we mentioned above, lots of spots will have specials. These places go all out!

Walt’s Fish Market & Restaurant (4144 S. Tamiami Trl. | 941- 921-4605). Walt’s is the big dog on the stone crab block. Since Moore’s closed ten years ago, Walt’s has more than capably filled the void. (Has it really been ten years!?)

Brett and his crew trap, cook, and serve an unbelievable number of claws every season. They usually stock most sizes. Plus, if you eat them at the restaurant, you can enjoy some of their delicious smoked fish dip. BONUS – Back in 2022, we wrote a piece for Sarasota Magazine on how to make this addictive spread. If you missed that, you can READ IT HERE!

Gulf Coast Crab & Seafood (6986 S. Beneva Rd. | 685-2657). Rich and Kim own and operate this little slice of fresh seafood heaven. And, yes, as you would imagine, stone crab season keeps both of them hopping. And, just like Walt’s, they harvest their own crabs. So that means fresh from the Gulf to you! Gulf Coast is a carry-out situation.

If you’re like me and eat your stone crabs chilled, you’ll need some mustard sauce to slather them with. They have a tasty recipe for that. AND Kim was nice enough to share it with us. If you’d like to make your own, HERE’S KIM’S MUSTARD SAUCE RECIPE!

Last, but nowhere near least, is Big Water Fish Market (6639 Midnight Pass Rd. | 941- 554-8101). Located just south of the Siesta Key South Bridge, Big Water is a market & restaurant. Be warned, there’s not a ton of seating. That’s one of the things that makes this spot feel so homey and comfortable. They’ve got lots of stone crab, plus a nice assortment of other seafood to eat in or take with you.

We mentioned at the top that you’ll also be able to find our local crab catch as a special on lots of Sarasota restaurant menus, especially towards the beginning of the stone crab season. You’ve obviously got a better chance if the place is “seafood-centric”. Call first if you don’t want to roll the dice. Here are a few places that you might want to try. No guarantees here. Just some laying out some possibilities.

Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) • Lazy Lobster of Longboat Key • Speaks Clam Bar • Captain Brian’s Seafood • Lefty’s Oyster & Seafood Bar • Deep Lagoon • Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar

📸 If you’re out eating stone crabs, take a pic or two. Send them to us, and we might post a few on our FB page or in an upcoming newsletter. Happy stone crab hunting (and eating)!!

~ LH

📌 ODDS & ENDS

🎹 One Piano, Two Piano… If one piano is good, then two pianos are great! If you like a good piano duel (and who doesn’t?), then GROVE has an evening that will send you to the stars. Mark NOV 21st on your calendar. That’s when Keys & Courses takes over GROVE. They’re promising a “sophisticated and lively night of food and entertainment.” I’m not 100% certain if sophisticated and lively applies to both the food AND the entertainment, but it should make for a fun night, that’s for sure. Here’s more info on the event, including a menu! – KEYS & COURSES INFO

🍷 Wine On! For forty years, Roessler’s Restaurant has been hosting guests at its current South Sarasota location. It’s fine dining in a unique Florida setting.

They boast a “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. That means that when they host a wine dinner, you can be confident that you’ll be in for a memorable evening. WED OCT 28TH is that evening! They’ll be featuring the wines of Stringer Cellars paired up with some of Chef Klaus’ savory creations. If you’ve never been to Roessler’s, this would be a perfect occasion to visit. – WINE DINNER MENU HERE

🏃‍♀️‍➡️ The Rundown. Do you like to run? Do you like to socialize? If you answered YES to both, then we’ve got an activity that will be right in your wheelhouse. Every FRI at 5:45PM The Beach Club on Siesta Key hosts a Run Club get-together. It’s a weekly 5K followed by giveaways and even a cold plunge! Yes, of course you can reward yourself with a cold beverage. If you’re into this kind of thing, then it seems like the perfect start to the weekend. Sign-up is at 5:45PM. The running starts at 6!

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🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD INFO🗓️ 

Here is some local food information that we think you might find interesting. We’ve provided you with a link to more info. 

📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2025 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖 

🥃 NATIONAL MEZCAL DAY – INFO & RES HERE! 

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🧑‍🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO ‍🌾 

EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS 

EVERY THURSDAY – Englewood Farmer’s Market (Oct-May) – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS  

EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Florida Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS 

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