In the late 1930s there was an area in Tampa that was loaded with Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes. This area became known as Rattlesnake, Florida. Today tis is the area of Old Tampa Bay and the Gandy Bridge.
This is where you will find Salt Shack on the Bay.
This restaurant, right on the water, has beautiful views. The inside area has fire pits, tables and is complete with an old boat.
There is an open-air bar that you can grab a drink and sit at one of the many Adirondack chairs. It is a great place to just chill out.
Now if you are hungry there are tables both inside and outside. I got a table outside so I could enjoy the weather and the view of the water.
I ordered the Calamari Rings for a starter. The calamari were breaded and fried up nice and crispy. They also included some banana pepper slices that were fried up. They added a nice tangy flavor to the calamari, which was fresh and tender. They served a homemade “Island Sofrito Sauce”. It was a cross between a salsa ad marinara sauce. It added nice taste to the calamari.
For my meal I got the Coconut Curried Shrimp. This was sautéed shrimp with pineapple and peppers in a Jamaican curry sauce.
The shrimp were tender and soaked up the flavor of the curry. The sweetness of the pineapple complemented the slight hint of heat coming from the Jamaican seasoning in the curry sauce. The dish also came with sugar snap peas mixed in. It all sat on top of seasoned rice.
They included a pineapple salsa. This was delicious and I wish this was on the menu as an appetizer with tortilla chips. The pineapple was mixed with chopped tomatoes and cilantro. The overall flavor was sweet, but I did get some hint of sourness from the tomatoes. It was a nice contrast.
I also got to try the Fish Tacos. They used fresh Mahi that was blackened. They were layered in a flour tortilla along with shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, jicama slaw, and tomato salsa. There was a drizzle of chili horseradish on top. The flakey fish was seasoned perfectly. He horseradish sauce helped pull it all together with the right amount of tanginess.
The food and the views were fantastic at Salt Shack. I was there in the afternoon during the week, so I was able to get a table. I hear that they get packed on the weekends.
If you want to learn more about the Rattlesnakes that were once in the area, check out their website at www.salt-shack.com
Enjoy!
T
