'Top Ten Seafood Shacks'

[rbgarr]

Of course everyone will argue with top ten lists, and they are put together in the most hapahazard fashion: my daughter worked for a well-respected outdoor adventure magazine where top ten lists were used as filler and almost always assigned to the most junior employees (often interns!) at the last minute of each issue cycle. Googling 'popular xxxxs" may be all the 'research' done in the rush to publish, and having photos to accompany the list was often a determining factor for inclusion.

Some years ago, a Sunday NY Times article mentioned a local place named Red's Eats... and it's been doing a land-office business ever since, lines around the block, slowing traffic.

Anyhow, Abbott's is on this list (known by those Forumites who've met there during the WB Shows) and I do agree with The Clam Shack recommendation in Ipswich, Mass. Heart Attack City.

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinati...1?csp=34travel

[orbb]

I nominate Sambo's in Leipsic, DE:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/664265

[Hwyl]

Southport Raw Bar, in Lauderdale would be my pick.

The Clam Shack which is actually in Kennebunk is awful.

[johngsandusky]

There's one on eastern Cape Cod, that claims to be the best, also lines around the building. We found it to be wonderful, went midafternoon, no lines.

[Yeadon]

Kara and I really liked that place that you referred us to in West Boothbay ...




And Abbots was great!

[Doug Wood]

this...
http://lobstershacktwolights.com/

[Breakaway]

1. Mermaid Bar at Gilberts Resort. Key Largo. Fried yellowtail. Yumm

2. The Lobster Roll ( aka "Lunch") Amagansett, New York

Kevin

[Daniel Noyes]

Southport Raw Bar, in Lauderdale would be my pick.

The Clam Shack which is actually in Kennebunk is awful.

Thats be cause it is actually the "Clam Box" in Ipswich, I drive by every day on my way to and from work in Essex Ma. there is nearly always a line out the door and around the building when I go by on the way home.

Ipswich clams are famous up and down the coast as being the absolute best clams... but locals know the best Ipswich clams are actually from Newbury!

[bamamick]

Everyone has their own favorites, but I swear that for my tastes there are a bunch of places around here that blow any seafood I have ever had in New England out of the water. Interesting list.

Mickey Lake

[Mad Scientist]

John's Lunch has been insanely popular for decades.

http://www.johnslunch.com/

Tom

[Hwyl]

Thats be cause it is actually the "Clam Box" in Ipswich, I drive by every day on my way to and from work in Essex Ma. there is nearly always a line out the door and around the building when I go by on the way home.

Ipswich clams are famous up and down the coast as being the absolute best clams... but locals know the best Ipswich clams are actually from Newbury!

Dan, you redefine "parochial".

[landlocked sailor]

Aunt Carrie's on Point Judith has the BEST clam cakes! Of course, if you've never been to RI you probably have never had a real clam cake. My dear MIL turned us on to them 20 years ago. Rick

[rbgarr]

Living in the south for twenty years I developed a real appreciation for oysters, crab and shrimp of all persuasions, but lobster still takes the cake. I am LOVING the lower price of soft-shells this summer.

[CJ]

So, what is it, exactly, that makes these places so irresistible? Don't get me wrong, I love Abbotts, but if I couldn't pull my boat right up to it, or if it didn't have the awesome view that it has, I doubt I'd go there. The food is pretty good, but nothing that stands out.

That being said, I'll toss out one: In Menemsha, there's a take out seafood place on the dock (maybe someone else knows the name, I can't remember) that sells the most delicious stuffed quohogs I've ever had. Reheat them back on the boat and take them out to the jetty just before sunset... Oh, yeah!

[Tom3]

So, what is it, exactly, that makes these places so irresistible? Don't get me wrong, I love Abbotts, but if I couldn't pull my boat right up to it, or if it didn't have the awesome view that it has, I doubt I'd go there. The food is pretty good, but nothing that stands out.

That being said, I'll toss out one: In Menemsha, there's a take out seafood place on the dock (maybe someone else knows the name, I can't remember) that sells the most delicious stuffed quohogs I've ever had. Reheat them back on the boat and take them out to the jetty just before sunset... Oh, yeah!

We're the same. Where you're dining is a big part. Last season we spent our first night in Menemsha and had dinner sitting on the fish crates at Larsens. Just straight fresh seafood, byob, they don't do anything but cook it, you do the rest.

I have to see boats unloading their catch to be a top ten lobster or clam shack. What a spot Menemsha is to sit and watch the sunset and enjoy perfectly cooked fresh seafood, much of it local.

I did an article on Menemsha last season for USHarbors. We're always on the lookout for fish shacks like Larsens.

http://ma.usharbors.com/harbor-repor...-trip-menemsha

[rbgarr]

This one is nice: http://fiveislandslobster.com/

[woodpile]

Bills Seafood http://www.billsseafood.com/ in Westport Ct. has been doing it right for a long time. Gets a little crowded on summer weekends. My first question before checking out a place is always how long have they been in business under the same ownership, usually tells you something about the quality of their food they serve.

[rbgarr]

I did an article on Menemsha last season for USHarbors. We're always on the lookout for fish shacks like Larsens.

http://ma.usharbors.com/harbor-repor...-trip-menemsha

I liked the one you did on Hell's Half Acre a few weeks ago. The cairns are pretty recent, I guess. they weren't there a year or so back: http://me.usharbors.com/image-galler...ells-half-acre

You should make a point of posting about your articles when they come up on the web.

[CJ]

Larsen's

YES, thank you! Hope to get back there soon.

[Tom3]

I liked the one you did on Hell's Half Acre a few weeks ago. The cairns are pretty recent, I guess. they weren't there a year or so back: http://me.usharbors.com/image-galler...ells-half-acre

Thanks! I second Five Islands, we were there long ago and it had it all.

We still think the Co-op in Boothbay is as good as a lobster shack gets. For a few seasons we kept our boat in Boothbay and would row or sail our dingy to the Lobstermans Coop. Industrial lobstering, boats unloading, one of the biggest sets of tanks, good straight steamed seafood, no frills, just direct from the lobstermen.

Another favorite is Frenchboro. You can watch your fresh lobsters plucked from the crates at the docks, and come up the ramp while you sit overlooking the harbor.

[Stiletto]

Mangonui Fish shop and takeaways.

I recommend the smoked Hapuku.

[Bill Perkins]

I camped on Hells Half Acre with my Ducker one September while moving among a few of the islands on the Maine island Trail in that area . No cairns back then .What could be more superfluous ?It’s like desecrating a Zen garden . My lasting impression of those rockscapes was of a powerful sense of order ; of every piece , from the most immense boulders to the smallest grain of sand , having been placed in exactly the right place by the forces of nature; starting with glaciation and followed by innumerable seasons of wind ,rain and wave .

[Chip-skiff]

Mangonui Fish shop and takeaways.

I recommend the smoked Hapuku.

My top pick as well— love the place. The standard fush & chups is also excellent. (In te reo Mäori, Mangonui means big shark.)

There was also a place in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, that I liked for pompano: JB's Fish Camp. But it's since expanded and is no longer a genuine shack.

[Breakaway]

JB's Fish Camp. But it's since expanded and is no longer a genuine shack.

I know that place. Its under the bridge right? yeah, now its "big" with shack like accouterments adorning the walls. ( nets, net floats, harpooons, etc)

k

[Ian McColgin]

I'm not that much on seafood per se, but it's obvious that no seafood shack counts if it's not on a pier with the option for agile wait staff to carry drink trays gunnel to gunnel out a summer afternoon raft-up. So, I nominate Baxter's in Hyannis.

[rbgarr]

I camped on Hells Half Acre with my Ducker one September while moving among a few of the islands on the Maine island Trail in that area . No cairns back then .What could be more superfluous ?It’s like desecrating a Zen garden . My lasting impression of those rockscapes was a powerful sense of order ; of every piece , from the most immense boulders to the smallest grain of sand , having been placed in exactly the right place by the forces of nature; starting with glaciation and followed by innumerable seasons of wind ,rain and wave .

I agree.

[Mad Scientist]

...I have to see boats unloading their catch to be a top ten lobster or clam shack...

I can only dream of such places. Halifax's working waterfront was 'murdered' in the name of tourism. All that's left is the Atlantic Pilotage Authority and the tugboat dock.

Tom

[Tom3]

I camped on Hells Half Acre with my Ducker one September while moving among a few of the islands on the Maine island Trail in that area . No cairns back then .What could be more superfluous ?It’s like desecrating a Zen garden . My lasting impression of those rockscapes was a powerful sense of order ; of every piece , from the most immense boulders to the smallest grain of sand , having been placed in exactly the right place by the forces of nature; starting with glaciation and followed by innumerable seasons of wind ,rain and wave .

Fair enough Bill, I can't argue with you there and much appreciate the feedback.

There's some great seafood places in this thread.

If anyone wants to post these locations or any other useful coastal info and or photos, email Josh Moore the editor at USharbors.com

You get to tell it your way.

[Tom3]

I can only dream of such places. Halifax's working waterfront was 'murdered' in the name of tourism. All that's left is the Atlantic Pilotage Authority and the tugboat dock.

Tom

That's sad to hear and has happened in too many places. We're lucky to still have many working harbors here on the coast of Maine. Here in Rockport, much of the harbor access is publicly owned. At one point, the whole waterfront in the back ground was sold for condos. Some fine folks bought it back, and gave it to the town and now it's a public park, boat launch ramp and public docks.

The young woman in the red dress, that can cast...., is on the fishermens docks, also public access.

We were just lucky.

[Willin']

Thanks! I second Five Islands, we were there long ago and it had it all.

We still think the Co-op in Boothbay is as good as a lobster shack gets. For a few seasons we kept our boat in Boothbay and would row or sail our dingy to the Lobstermans Coop. Industrial lobstering, boats unloading, one of the biggest sets of tanks, good straight steamed seafood, no frills, just direct from the lobstermen.

Another favorite is Frenchboro. You can watch your fresh lobsters plucked from the crates at the docks, and come up the ramp while you sit overlooking the harbor.

When we have company we generally take them to Five Islands, even though it has nothing on some of the smaller, lesser known family run operations that cater more to local clientelle on the mid-coast. There's dozens of them, from Harpswell to Tenant's Harbor , small, out of the way with wonderful views, food and prices.

I agree, though, that Frenchboro is special. That's one we save for just my wife and I (small boat syndrome).

[David G]

Bowpicker Fish & Chips - in my hometown - Astoria, Oregon:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ia_Oregon.html

[Thorne]

Without a doubt Katy's Smokehouse in Trinidad, CA.



http://www.katyssmokehouse.com/

[The Bigfella]

Good to see Grant broke the real parochialism... but I can't say I've seen any mouthwatering suggestions yet.

I nominate about 10,000 restaurants in southern Thailand ahead of the above lot...




... and if you aren't partial to seafood, one of the bargirls might offer you a fried cricket if you're nice to them...



Yeah, I know... not exactly seafood, but nice with a beer

Its not often I go back to a restaurant in a town where there's literally hundreds of restaurants to choose from, but Sea Bass in Thai Herbs (which includes mint and cashews in the mix) ranks right up there with the best fish I've ever eaten.... so I went back and repeated it.

Lobster, eaten at tables and chairs set up on the beach in Bali ranks up there too.... I shared this one.



Oh yes... more beachside restaurants... this time the Gili Islands, Indonesia



How many prawns would you like sir? Live music there too... Gili Islands



More Gili Islands. Barracouda sir?



OK... I'll stop at that. That's probably about the cost of a meal at one of the parochial restaurants...

[Tom3]

When we have company we generally take them to Five Islands, even though it has nothing on some of the smaller, lesser known family run operations that cater more to local clientelle on the mid-coast. There's dozens of them, from Harpswell to Tenant's Harbor , small, out of the way with wonderful views, food and prices.

I agree, though, that Frenchboro is special. That's one we save for just my wife and I (small boat syndrome).

We've never seen a crowd at Lunt and Lunt docks on Frenchboro, it's not on Rt 1.

Here's the view from our picnic table(I bet it's your table too). They were pulling our lobsters out of this boat at the docks, our son was rowing in from our moored boat with Acadia in the background. Typical.

The schooners do it well cooking the staples of a lobster dinner on countless secret natural beaches in and around Penobscot Bay.

It takes some lugging and planning but it can be worth the effort on your own boat.

[The Bigfella]

The missing Sea Bass photo

[The Bigfella]

OK... dinner tonight... one of the other piers near my pier guesthouse room.

The view was great. Three dressed (lights) warships in sight... of the five I know are there... plus two Burmese trawlers at anchor and 30 or so squid boats, with their bright green lights on.

Dinner for two.

Scallops in wine sauce - $4

Curried crab - $12

3 taste Tiger Prawns $11.

Absolutely brilliant... and stuffed full. I'd kill for those scallops. Brilliant.

[Tom3]

The missing Sea Bass photo

That does look exceptional, thanks for the shots.