A Mississippi Coast seafood favorite has opened a new location. We gave it a try
Can you think of a better way to spend an afternoon in South Mississippi than with a 5 lb bag of crawfish? No? Me neither.
So that’s I did. The wife and I took down two dungeness crab clusters, a pound of shrimp and five pounds of crawfish with corn, sausage and potatoes and we did it in the name of journalism.
Gautier’s popular Killer Crab & Seafood shop recently expanded to a second location in Ocean Springs and we wanted to give it a try.
It can be found at 6905 Washington Avenue next to the Marathon. It’s an unassuming building: a long, skinny cinder block structure off to the side of the gas station. But inside these concrete walls are the boiled and steamed and butter-soaked reasons why the market has earned a strong fan base among locals.
All the seating is outdoors under an awning. The tables are metal and stocked with paper towels. There’s a trash can and — importantly — a sink with soap.
This is where we made our peace with God. In a clear plastic bag were the crawfish. In a styrofoam plate were the crab clusters and shrimp.
It was a truly divine experience. I would’ve taken more pictures, but those familiar with the game here understand that your hands are completely useless for anything else once you’ve started breaking into the sea bugs.
My favorite main meat was the crab, though I was only allowed a few bites. My wife is a fiend for shelled crustaceans. You should see the way she works through a leg — with all the efficiency and precision of a surgeon.
It was after she de-stuffed the first cluster when she looked at me with crab claws dancing in her eyes. “I am having a religious experience right now.”
The shrimp was also incredibly flavorful. I found it difficult to peel, but that can be attributed to user error. My worst skill in life has always been opening mail. Can’t do it without destroying the entire envelope. That carries over to shrimp shells.
The brothy mix at the bottom of the plate created by the generous helping of butter and spice voided any need for a sauce or dip.
And the crawfish were good, too, though next time I’ll bump up the spice level. These aren’t grocery store crawfish, either, the tails are stuffed and the claws thick enough to pull a little extra meat out of.
Of the sides, I enjoyed the potatoes immensely. They were cooked to perfection. Crispy skin with a soft, fluffy inside.
The rest of the menu has the usual: snow crabs, royal reds, flounder and lobster. O’Pink’s Sweets and Treats is also served here, offering cheesecake cupcakes, banana pudding, Kool-Aid pickles and more. My wife especially enjoyed the biscoff cupcake cheesecake.
I’ll be back, myself. And I may have to hit up the original in Gautier as long as they’re selling daiquiris by the gallon.
