The Shrimp Shack

Today’s post, while it is about a restaurant, is neither a fancy one nor a Japanese one, for once. I know, shocker. Today’s post, is about a place that took way too long to get to.

At the moment of writing this, it is Labor Day, so how did we decide to spend our time? By cramming 5 people and 2 dogs into a car and drive up north. We decided to on the road to go to The Shrimp Shack, which is in Anacortes and very close to Deception Pass. The drive from Seattle to this place is about an hour long, so be prepared for that.

The Shrimp Shack is exactly that, a shack. Seating is mainly outside underneath a canopy and parking, at least for us, was cramped. It seemed a lot of people wanted to come by for this place, so it tells you a lot in terms of its popularity. There are two lines, one for the grill and the other for shrimp, which you can buy by the pound.

The shrimp are all precooked, although how they cook it is anyone’s guess, then put on ice. They scoop however much the customer wants into a thick plastic bag (not thick enough, let me tell you) and serve it to you. One thing to note, the shrimp they serve are tiny. I mean, sure you get a decent size one here and there, but usually what I would assume is labeled as “undersized”. Because of their small size, they can fit a lot more for a pound, so the amount you get is always worth the price. Served with a cocktail dipping sauce, you are expected to peel the shrimp yourselves to eat; so be warned that, since the shells are pointy, you may be pricked several times and also, you will leave with a bad smell on your hands.

Their shrimp alone is worth the long trek up north. I mean, it is in the name. But The Shrimp Shack also serves grilled items, I would assume to keep business running when shrimp is not in season. They serve items like burgers, fried calamari, fried fish, fried shrimp (which incidentally are bigger than the above mentioned), a lot fried options. I think I also saw that they have an alligator and an elk burger, but I didn’t order either of those so I can’t confirm nor deny if that was true. What I had instead was their secondary signature, the Shack Burger, which is a beef patty with fried oyster on top. It was….interesting to say the least. The beef patty was good, don’t get me wrong. It had an adequate juiciness to it. The addition of fried oysters made it interesting. It added a really odd texture and taste to the burger, one that I personally could have done without. Of course, since it is a burger, it also came with a side of fries. Let me tell you, these fries are possibly the best fries I’ve had. Super crunchy.

So to summarize, if you ever are crazy enough to randomly go north of Seattle in search of something to eat. Go to the Shrimp Shack. If not for the shrimp, then for their fries. And if you do try the alligator and elk, let me know how that goes.