So, I was chatting with a northern-transplant friend who has
been here a few years and loves, loves, loves Englewood, Florida and our beachy
Gulf coast lifestyle. We were discussing the best foods on earth and, not surprising,
we agreed that Stone Crab was up at the top of the list. What did surprise me
was that she’d never tried a mustard sauce to go along with it. She had heard
people mention mustard sauce but wasn’t convinced “mustard” would be better
than “drawn butter”. That was when I understood her
misgivings; mustard sauce is not
mustard!
Florida mustard sauce contains a little mustard but it is a mayonnaise-based
dipping sauce. The most famous mustard sauce recipes are attributed to Joe’s
Stone Crab in Miami Beach. There are a number of variations, but most have a mayonnaise
base, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, cream, and dry mustard. What is great
about using mustard sauce is that the seasoning accentuates the sweetness of
the crab claw. Don’t get me wrong, drawn butter is great with seafood,
especially lobster, but it just doesn’t do as much for stone crab as the
mustard sauce does.
Robust mustard sauces are a common condiment for cold meats,
however more subtle sauces are best with stone crab. The vinegar and sweeteners
added to mustard sauces for ham, lamb, beef tenderloin, chicken, and so forth are
too strong and mask the freshness and sweetness of the crab. I prefer to keep
the mustard at or below 3 teaspoons per cup of mayo. I’ve experimented with
different kinds of dry and prepared mustards, as well. Adding a little fresh
key lime juice is a nice change of pace, but not needed.
Stone crab can be very
pricey. Treat yourself (and your loved ones?) right this year. Go to your local
market or dockside stand and buy a few claws. Then, instead of drowning them in
butter, make a small batch of mustard sauce. It will be a great start to a
great year!
Happy 2017!
Mary Alampi
Recipe
Slightly lighter
recipe
Key Lime recipe
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