Great news. Lots of history for me and that bridge. When I was a kid, my father and I once rode our bikes there from Roger's Park.

stopped at calumet today got some fried smelts,smoked jumbo shrimp & fried shrimp. great stuff
the price of the smoked shrimp is the same 20 bucks a pound

Just received an e-mail which contained a link to this piece at the Sun Times' web site:

Calumet Fisheries wins prestigious Beard honor

Mary Houlihan at the Sun Times wrote:The 2010 nominations won't be announced until March 22, but Chicago already has a winner: Calumet Fisheries, the nondescript fish shack on the Southeast Side, has been named one of five winners of the 2010 American Classics Award. The honor is given to small, regional, down-home eateries that make an impression on the awards committee.

"We're pretty amazed and honored," said co-owner Mark Kotlick, who admits he had to do a Google search to find out what the award was all about.

=R=

Gotta love this line from the Sun-Times article:

"We'll be playing with the big boys that night," Kotlick said, laughing. "If I could sit with a Rick Bayless or a Rachael Ray, well that would be a fun, interesting evening."

The award couldn't go to nicer people. The food is great, but it the friendliness of the crew that makes me particularly happy about this award.

payed a visit to Calumet Fisheries Saturday for a snack. Loved the fried shrimp, perfectly cooked, piping hot, nice crisp breading, and I liked the hot sauce for dipping. I think these are some of the best fried shrimp I have had in Chicagoland. A shrimp dinner and a can of RC for a quick snack was great

Didnt feel like trying any of the smoked items on this visit, perhaps next time.

HI,

My friend Helen brought her husband for his very first visit to Calumet Fisheries.

Naturally, they loved the usual suspects. They then surprised me with a report of new food offering, at lease to me, they had sweet potato tater tots. They didn't know if they were made in house or were a commercial product. What they did know: they loved them.

Something new to try on your next visit to Calumet Fisheries.

Regards,

On Mondays I teach at a community center on 92nd and Commercial. I was a little early today so I thought, good time to hit Calumet Fisheries. A half order of smelt, half order of oysters. My, my, my, what a treat. Oysters juicy and plump, smelts needed the sauce to perk them up but tasty. And pretty huge portions for the price. Next time I'll try some of the smoked stuff. This could become a regular thing, at least until the school year ends.

Last time I went I remembered reading somewhere (not here) that the fried shrimp and french fries were both best eaten soon after receiving them so I took the short drive to Calumet Park. It was a beautiful sunny,but cool day and the crispy,crunchy breading on the shrimp was just about perfect. The fries were better than when I take them all the way home (about a 15 minute drive) but still not the best. Next time I'll ask for more "well done" fries and report back. I've also tried the smoked shrimp eaten like a shrimp cocktail...with a good cocktail sauce (although I love the sauce from Calumet Fisheries,I wanted the "Sau-Sea" shrimp cocktail sauce,which is my favorite) In a word: Delicious!

As reported here, a nearby alternative to on-the-bridge-or-under-the-power-lines-eating is nearby Calumet State Park.

gastro gnome wrote:As reported here, a nearby alternative to on-the-bridge-or-under-the-power-lines-eating is nearby Calumet State Park.

I've eaten plenty of Calumet fishes in Calumet Park and would second dansch's recommendation (not that the bridge isn't scenic in its own way). It's actually part of the Chicago Park District and you can read about its interesting history here.

I was on a "camping" (and eating) trip this weekend. Logged about 900 miles on my rental car wandering through Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Thanks to the fine folks on this board, I finally made it to Calumet Fisheries (for a late breakfast). Absolutely loved the Smoked Shrimp and the great bridge/view:

The building shows Smoked Eel - is that still available on occasion?

Hi,

I'm glad you enjoyed the experience.

They haven't offered smoke eel in years.

Recently returned to the menu after more than 15 years, smoked sable and smoked sturgeon.

Regards,

Hi,

I saw Calumet Fisheries has added smoked Scottish Salmon to the menu as of today.

Regards,

We stopped at Calumet Fisheries on our way to Saugatuck this weekend. Mr. X had never been; I was one visit up on him. We got a fried shrimp dinner, a half-pound of smoked shrimp and a small piece of lemon-pepper smoked salmon. We chatted with the friendly staff and were invited to visit the smoker where the magic happens. So cool. We took our lunch over to Calumet State Park and sat in the car enjoying the food while looking at the steel mills across the water. The smoked shrimp is not the neatest food to eat. Fortunately, I had the foresight to make sure some hand wipes were in the car. Both types of shrimp were great. We managed to save the salmon until Sunday's Easter dinner, where it was quickly demolished by the in-laws. Great, great stuff.

We stopped in on Friday. Of all the things I have enjoyed at Calumet Fisheries I have to say my favorite is the smoked salmon head. It is everything that you could possibly like about smoked salmon but much more concentrated and intensified. It more tender, more smoky and more juicy than any other part of the smoked fish. It is so juicy and fatty that it is difficult to eat. When you are lucky enough to time it right to get one that is still warm, the taste is incredible. Sometimes they will pull a warm one from the back for you if you ask. As far as my tastes go, this is smoked fish taken to its fullest potential.

My wife and I ordered two salmon heads. They were gone in minutes. We bought a pound of the smoked shrimp to bring to the people we were visiting. The shrimp was great, but whenever I'm there the first thing I order is the salmon head.

I might be heading down here this weekend to buy fish for chowdah. What are some good one-two punches nearby?

I know there are a couple taquerias and an Italian Beef/Hot Dog place just down the road that look promising, but I haven't given them a try yet.

Pie Lady wrote:I might be heading down here this weekend to buy fish for chowdah. What are some good one-two punches nearby?

Pie Lady-

Check out this thread for ideas.

If you are going to Calumet enjoy a meal from Calumet after buying your chowder fixings. Nearby you have Skyway dog house,Phils Castle hamburgers, Mexican and Pucchi's pizza & Italian. There is also a mid east eatery on Ewing Ave. I forgot the name of.

love this place.

Calumet smoked shrimp were the benchmark for a peat smoked shrimp I recently did with carrot-ginger emulsion, orange-fennel slaw and basil oil. It came out quite nice.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2012/03/05/one-bite-alan-lakes-donegal-peat-smoked-shrimp.

The small piece of lemon-pepper smoked salmon that traveled with us to Michigan was happily devoured by our friends. Spreading the gospel of Calumet Fisheries one hunk of fish at a time...

Glad to occasionally be in the Pullman area for work, well within striking distance of Calumet Fisheries.
No chubs today, but the smoked shrimp were a superb backup plan. Well worth the $22/pound tariff.
Fried clams made great finger food for the ride home in heavy interstate traffic.
Those partial to sweet potato fries in general would enjoy the sweet potato tots here.
Good to see steady lunch hour business.

TomInSkokie wrote:No chubs today, but the smoked shrimp were a superb backup plan. Well worth the $22/pound tariff.

Agreed on the smoked shrimp, picked up a lb on way home from 3 Floyds on Monday night.

I wouldn't expect to see any chubs and if by some miracle you do, I'd assume to expect a far more per lb price than the smoked shrimp as it just isn't economical to fish for them.

Also picked up a 1/2 lb of smoked lake trout which I'll turn into a smoked fish dip when at the cabin this weekend.

Sweet,

Just curious, what is your recipe for making fish dip. I would love to emulate!

Regards,

Exciting news for lovers of al fresco dining: Calumet Fisheries has set up tables practically on the bridge!

Rene G wrote:Exciting news for lovers of al fresco dining: Calumet Fisheries has set up tables practically on the bridge!

Wow! Fancy!!!

About time!!

I really wish I would have thought about this on my recent trip to Old Fashioned Donuts, but OFD/CF would be a great one-two punch, even in the pick-up-and-bring-it-home category.