We have a lot to thank the US state of Louisiana for – Reese Witherspoon, Popeyes, the difficulty of spelling Mississippi and of course it’s cracking seafood dishes like the crawfish boil. Taking influence from the Pelican State is Crabbish, the first ‘Louisiana-style’ seafood boil restaurant in Manchester and many are absolutely bubbling to try it.
Shrimp, crab, and crawfish boils are a Louisiana Cajun tradition and can be found across the state and beyond, with many hosting annual festivals serving up the delicious seafood dish. The classic boil combines Cajun spices like cayenne pepper, hot sauce, salt, lemons, and bay leaf to a bubbling pot of crustaceans, allowing the seafood to absorb all that flavour.
Possibly one of the most unique new restaurants to arrive in Greater Manchester, diners can get a taste of Louisiana and dive into a sea of boiled seafood and Cajun cuisine at Crabbish. So strap on a bib and get the gloves on because things will get messy as the Chapel Street restaurant pours a whacking big pile of seafood from a bag directly onto your table for you to get stuck in!
Guests can choose from a range of crab (king, brown and snow) to be boiled, as well as a range of other seafood like clams, shrimp, calamari, lobster plus blue and green-lipped mussels. And there are no small portions and measly prawns hidden away here, as the lobsters that arrive are as big as your head!
After selecting your seafood, you choose a sauce (cajun, garlic butter or traditional salt and pepper boil) and spice level from mild to extra hot. Sides include eggs, beef sausages, special house rice, onion rings, fries, crab cigars and a fried platter of seafood. For those who want to lean a little more towards Cajun tradition, can opt for the likes of corn on the cob and potatoes.
For those who want a feast, there’s even the Golden Bucket, which serves six to eight people, consisting of one lobster, four lobster tails, two crabs, 16 snow crab legs, four king crab legs, 42 head on shrimps, 36 blue mussels, 32 clams, 12 eggs, six sausages, eight corn on the cobs and 32 potatoes. And it comes as no surprise, that this particular dining combo has quite the hefty price tag due to the amount of seafood you get.
The interior of Crabbish gives an ode to the sea as the restaurant is decorated with a mural of underwater creatures including turtles and of course crabs. Tables are decked out with white and red chequered table cloths and with white paper cloths over them ready for the pile of seafood boil to arrive.
Crabbish is now open and you can currently book by sending a direct message to their Instagram account or calling 0161 215 2540.
Find Crabbish at 187 Chapel Street, Salford, M3 5EQ.