What is the critical instruction for consumers who purchase stone crab claws fresh and uncooked?

They should be cooked the same day they are purchased.

When stone crab claws are purchased in their fresh, uncooked state—a less common retail scenario compared to purchasing them pre-cooked—the timeline for safe consumption becomes extremely tight. Unlike a pre-cooked claw that benefits from the initial heat treatment preserving it for several days under refrigeration, the raw meat is highly vulnerable. The rapid onset of bacterial activity means that consumers must treat these items with the same urgency as any other highly perishable seafood product. Therefore, the best practice is to ensure the claws are cooked thoroughly and consumed very shortly thereafter, ideally on the same day they are acquired from the supplier.