Aripeka Stone Crab Co. in Spring Hill

Stone crab season is here! Time once again to enjoy the stone crab claws. I'm coming to you from Arapaho today. Arapaho Stone Crab Company. In fact, Carrie's dad started this company in 1985. You and your husband have been running it now for the last 20 years. Correct. In fact, he's out on a boat right now. Even at this time. He's crabbing. He's crabbing. He gathers the crabs. You take the the claw off out actually on the water put the crab back it's going to grow the claw back over and over again brings it back here to the dock cooks it you guys cook them uh because so anything any stone crab you get is already going to be cooked you eat them cold so my preference yeah some people like to steam them but don't boil them yeah some people like to warm them up i like them cold too and some hot butter hot butter garlic so after they're cooked they're they're splayed out on here and we're doing a demonstration then on how you separate them by size. Exactly. And the sizes are? You have medium, large, jumbo, colossal. And that's based on a weight of tenths of a pound? Tenths of a pound, yes. So anything under .19? So anything under 19 tenths of a pound are the mediums. And then 19 to 31 and a half, tenths is going to be the large. you got the jumbos which are 31 and a half to 33 no 41 and 41 yeah 40 42. okay so we take that put it over here like that and that comes up 33. so that's a jumbo that's a jumbo so you'll put that in there okay i don't want to break it or anything they're tough okay okay good keep going so that now i think you can tell by looking in this part right probably a couple of times you've been doing this i've done it let's go you did this what's that one you think uh that one's gonna be a jumbo i think that's a jumbo let's see if she's right oh my gosh 45 you're right let's go back no that's a colossal oh that's a colossal that's a colossal that's then that's this one yep that's the biggie did you get that wrong wrong oh now that's a colossal has to be right has to be that's huge let's see 46 46 that's a colossal all right you're gonna have to quit your day job i think that's a medium that's not a medium oh that's a large probably probably jumbo oh it's the the fans messing me up 30 large that's a lot so that one's gonna be over in the shoot and literally that is your this is your life for the next six months yes do it go and do this doing this yes yes a lot of it. And then, so once you sort them all, is that when they come over here and they go in here? Yes, so then they go on ice, and then we work through here and just pull them out, and then we do retail and wholesale, so whatever we don't retail, we wholesale, and it's a constant flow of fresh off our boat stone crab claws. Nice. So we're expecting high volumes and exciting packs. Here's to stone crab season. Well done. You can find them on Facebook, Arapahoe Stone Crab Company, for more information on how to get up here to Arapahoe and get some stone crab claw Fox 13 News.