Shuck ‘em and suck ‘em: shrimp and crawfish at Oyster House Philly

Quickie review: Oyster House

Even after a thorough washing, I could still smell the potent cajun spices on my fingertips an hour later.

And that’s not a complaint.

Last Tuesday I got a chance to check out the new specials over at Oyster House.

Terrible iPhone photos aside, the dish pictured above was pretty spectacular when plopped on the table, even if just by the aromas alone. As part of a new Tuesday night special, you’ll hunker down to a feast of shrimp and whole Louisiana crawfish, both in their shells, served with chunks of kielbasa and boiled red potatoes. It’s all cooked in Creole spices and meant to be eaten with the hands. The crawfish are a bit fiddly but if your technique is right, you can get a decent amount of meat from their teeny tails. Just ask for extra wet naps and you’ll be golden.

My dining partner and I felt the shrimp were the real stars here; slightly sweet and plumped with the flavorful cooking broth (which you can order on the side for dipping if you choose). I do wish there would have been more heat to the dish, which ranged in spice from mild to slightly-less-mild as we went through.

The $19 special is available every Tuesday during dinner hours only. It’s is big enough to share, though we’d recommend ordering an appetizer or half dozen anything from the raw bar.

If you’re on a budget (and who isn’t) and can only afford one dish (to save some moolah for drinks), make it the sauteed mussels with spinach and sausage in garlic cream sauce. Phenomenal.

Oyster House -

1516 Sansom Street

Philadelphia, PA.

215-567-7683

oysterhousephilly.com

[A full report of the experience can be found at Philadelphia City Paper on the Meal Ticket food blog. If you have any questions, please email alexandra.harcharek@citypaper.net.]