Gulf Shores Seafood - A Beginner's Guide

The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offer a variety of attractions and activities for all visitors, and it seems that nothing is more appealing than the fresh Alabama seafood available at most local restaurants. Whether your favorite is red snapper, royal red shrimp, local crab, oysters, or any of the other offerings, you'll find plenty of opportunities to enjoy some local delicacies.

National Shrimp Festival

The national shrimp festival is a tradition that dates back more than forty years, and this year we'll see the annual tradition continue. There's no cover, so the whole family can enjoy Alabama Wild Shrimp while listening to live entertainment and participating in one of the many competitions that surround the event. Make the best sand sculpture or run in the 5k, all while eating some of the best shrimp in the country.

Oysters

Oysters are delicious fried, grilled, on the half shell, whole shell, pretty much any way you can prepare them. Alabama offers some of the freshest, most incredible-tasting oysters on the East Coast. What's more, wild Alabama oysters are particularly healthy. A one-cup serving offers over 17 grams of protein, and you'll also get your daily serving of iron from them.

Biodiversity

The Gulf Shores is home to four distinct ecosystems, each with its own contribution of wildlife. It is no wonder that the Shores has such remarkable biodiversity, and is home to 4,500 different species. Of those, 144 can only be found in the state of Alabama, and another 100 are deemed globally rare. Exploring the wildlife at the Gulf will produce an experience that is unparalleled in any other region.

Black Drum

As an incredible winter catch, don't be put off by the whiskers you may see on the Black Drum's chin. These fish love oyster reefs and muddy floors and vary in taste depending on their size. The general agreement is the puppy drums (less than 10 pounds) are the tastiest.

Crabs

On the hard shell or soft shell, Alabama crabs are often a fisherman's favorite find. Cast off from one of our Gulf Shores and Orange Beach rentals and hunt for your own! However, if you prefer the soft shell kind, you may want to leave it to the professionals. There's only about a 4-hour window to catch a soft-shell crab before their exoskeleton hardens and you've got a hard-shell one.

Mackerel

Alabama is home to both King and Spanish Mackerels, weighing an average of 10 and 3 pounds, respectively. Their abundance and variation in size make them the perfect target for a family fishing trip. Both types love the open water, though you're likely to find the Spanish variety a little closer to the beach.