The Crab Shack, Teignmouth, Cornwall

The Crab Shack is one of very few seafood restaurants in Teignmouth. Given its location by the sea, we expected to find several places that specialised in seafood but we were disappointed. In Teignmouth, positioned right along the English riviera coastline, there are only a handful of places where seafood is actually served.

Do not be deceived by its name though. The Crab Shack is anything but… a shack. A tastefully decorated, beautifully served seafood restaurant is a must-visit for seafood lovers to the area.

Small but perfectly formed

As we scoured Google for recommendations for seafood we were less than confident when walked in for lunch with no prior booking. Thankfully we were quickly offered a seat outside or in. Given that it was early spring, which meant a fairly dry but cold day, we asked and were immediately shown to a table inside. There was only one other party in the restaurant and a couple of tables were occupied outside by the harbour. I can see why one would choose to sit outside, just look at the view of the harbour below. Other than that, it was pretty quiet.

Decor and Ambience

As I mentioned before, The Crab Shack is nothing like a shack. It is a very considered, beautifully decorated space with nods to the sea that it sits beside. Although the space is small, it does not feel overly crowded, probably thanks to the clever table arrangement. We were shown to a table by the window from which we could look out at the (then) grey foreboding sea and sky as well as let our views wander inside and revel in the warmth of the space.

A lot of wood is used to ‘soften’ what would be cold stone walls. Wood strips painted in a rustic greyish-white line the walls complement the narrow beams that line the ceiling. Small but important touches, decorations harking to the nearby sea all add to the overall cosiness and warm, welcoming atmosphere.

IMG_5823 crab shack interior — Small but not overly crowded

The Menu

The menu at The Crab Shack is by no means huge and extensive, but it is clearly very well thought through. They have picked a selection of seafood and planned well how best to serve it so that each shines. They also offer a 2- or 3- course lunch deal (at the time of writing £32/£37). It looked like a really good deal but we wanted some of the other options so chose from the ala carte menu.

For our lunch Sam had the Mussels with creme fraiche, while the Crab linguine called out to me. And because we were not able to resist the temptation, we also ordered the Lobster and crab roll with lobster butter. We were given the option for chips or fries with the mussels and opted for fries, reminiscent of the ever-popular moules et frites.

The Food

Teign Mussels, local cider and creme fraiche

The mussels arrived piled high on a beautiful dish which complemented the food. It was garnished with perfectly angled slivers of spring onions and soft wilted onion and garlic from the white sauce itself. This was astoundingly good.

Each mussel was not only huge in size, but succulent and full. They had clearly been cooked to perfection and not overdone to the point of shrink. Even more impressive was the fact that the beards had been removed from each and every one. Each bite burst with flavours and texture which made for a very satisfying meal.

The creme fraiche sauce was creamy but not overbearingly so. This in turn brought out the flavours in the sauce that perfectly complemented the mussels. All in all, as seafood lovers, this was nothing less than a perfect bowl of mussels.

Crab Linguine

Devon crab, linguine pasta, white wine, créme fraiche, chilli and garlic

I’m always hesitant to order a crab dish as the perfect way to eat crab, to me is chunks of succulent crab meat either simply on its own or accompanied by a rich, spicy sauce (think chilli crabs).

Crab Shack Lobster Linguine — Crab Shack Crab Linguine

Still, The Crab Shack’s crab linguine did not disappoint. Where it would have been easy to have overdone the pasta, here it was perfectly al dente. The bite of the pasta perfectly complemented the mostly white crab meat dished up generously over it. The golden bread crumbs added texture and mouthfeel that could have been distracting from the overall flavours but thankfully in this case worked well. The sauce as creamy but light and worked well to elevate the scent of taste of the crab meat itself.

Lobster and prawn brioche roll

Langoustine, Prawn and Lobster, créme fraiche, Bloody Mary tomato fondue, baby gem lettuce, cucumber, herbs, Lobster Thermidor butter

This was a beautiful feast for the eyes. A golden brioche slice bedded down with finely sliced lettuce then filled with a beautifully presented lobster and prawn mix. All topped by finely sliced cucumber and tiny shards of dill. The roll was presented ‘standing up’ in a U-shaped wooden holder while the side of lobster butter served in a mini s saucepan. Unfortunately, the Bloody Mary tomato fondue was not served.

After our mains, this was too much and we asked for it to be packed up to take away. The roll held up really well until when we actually had it a couple of hours later.

As to be expected, the lobster and prawn meat were succulent perfect companions to the bread and leaves combination. Each bite was both sea-worthy yet refreshing from the cucumber and lettuce leave. We dipped what we could into the butter which added a punch of flavour although there was a slight grittiness to it. I quite liked it, but can see where it might be less favoured by some who are not used to that texture.

Sea salt frites

French fries served with confit garlic aioli.

It is pretty hard to get French fries wrong, and usually the only reason for that is that they are undercooked. This was certainly not the case here. The French fries too were well done to a perfect crisp outer skin with a warm, soft gentle centre. The confit of garlic aioli did work somewhat well, although it did seem a bit pretentious alongside standard ketchup. A home-made ketchup or a salsa-style dip might have made it even more impressive. All in all, the frites were the perfect accompaniment for the moules.

Service

The service was one of the nicest experiences of all. A friendly smiley server who was on hand to answer and help but subtle enough to give us space to truly enjoy the food. She checked back often and when it was clear that the roll was something we simply could not finish, she offered to pack it up for takeaway without being asked.

Value

Lunch at The Crab Shack in Teignmouth was not ‘cheap as chips’ but neither was it break the bank expensive. For what we had, we did think it was relatively good value. It was a bit disappointing though that the mussels did not come with chips as a side despite being on a higher price point. A discretionary 10% for service was added to the final bill.

Final thoughts

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the food, service and ambience of The Crab Shack. It was really wonderful to eat somewhere that too so much pride and joy in each and every serving. You could see it in all the details of the flavours and pairings and the final touches of the presentation. There’s not much that the team at The Crab Shack could improve upon in terms of quality of food and presentation.

If you’re in the area, or even if you’re not (it’s definitely worth the trip!) we’d definitely recommend a meal at The Crab Shack in Teignmouth. Even if there’s not much else to do there.