50 contestants. 10 teams of two. 25 fresh stone crab claws. And one ticking clock.
In the Florida Keys this weekend, a tasty tradition to kick off stone crab season proved there is indeed a method to chomping your way through dozens of stone crab claws in record time…and it’s not just a good appetite.
Stone crab connoisseurs donned their best crab couture Saturday afternoon for the 14th annual Stone Crab Eating Contest at Keys Fisheries. The goal? Crack and consume 25 tasty stone crab claws and pick them completely clean in the fastest time possible. Participants received a penalty for each piece of claw meat left behind.
And contestants came prepared! From hammers to mallets to nut crackers, they raided their utensil drawers and toolboxes to help them crack open and chow down the succulent stone crabs. But in the end, it was a spoon — a very large spoon — that helped a Florida man take the top prize…