Dining Drive: Crabby Shell’s Seafood Shack

Dining Drive, a new Pigeon605 series, gives you a taste of the deliciousness that awaits within an easy drive of Sioux Falls. Today, we head west where a new seafood shack seems like a great reason for a seasonal road trip.

By Courtney Collen, for Pigeon605

This place might get you hooked.

The newly opened, locally owned and operated riverside eatery Crabby Shell’s Seafood Shack is attempting to bring its own slice of paradise to Pierre.

Mary Etzkorn has owned Mad Mary’s Steak House & Saloon in Pierre for 22 years. Together with daughter Ashlee Shmulsky they opened Crabby Shell’s Seafood Shack in June.

Ashlee Shmulsky and Mary Etzkorn

The two were ready to bring a new concept to the area.

Shmulsky spent 10 years bartending and managing Mad Mary’s for her mom before moving with her husband to Massachusetts, where they lived for five years and she gained more experience in the food industry.

One of those restaurants was The Bistro Box, where Schmulsky said she fell in love with the beachside window-to-window service and her inspiration was born.

“My mom always said Pierre needs a seafood restaurant, and we always had the name Crabby Shell’s in our minds,” Shmulsky said.

In fact, decades ago, Mary’s older sister Shelly encouraged the name Mad Mary’s, so naturally, Shelly became the namesake for the new restaurant Crabby Shell’s.

After having worked at the roadside eatery, serving soft-shell crab sandwiches, lobster rolls and other seafood specials, Shmulsky and her husband moved back to South Dakota in 2020 with a menu built for her future seafood shack.

A vacant riverside lot went up for sale, they found an old house to place on the land to match Shmulsky’s vision, and it was meant to be.

“I absolutely love being in my hometown, being around family,” Shmulsky said.

“As business owners, we never really take a vacation, so we wanted to bring paradise to Pierre,” she explained. “To bring our visions together and make this all happen is a dream come true.”

The vibe: It’s a very tropical, colorful atmosphere just like you’d find on the beach. You’ll hear upbeat reggae music with the ambiance of palm trees and a shaded patio with a tiki bar. A small retail shop features flip-flops, sunscreen, sunglasses, beach accessories and merchandise with the Crabby Shell’s logo.

What’s on the menu: All food dishes are inspired by a pirate theme. From the Scallywag to the Buccaneer, Island and Shipwreck Burgers to a Walk the Plank dog and more.

Signature dish: The Lobster Lubber is Crabby Shell’s most popular, which includes lobster salad on a toasted brioche roll with lettuce and lemon aioli.

Signature menu items: Salads, gourmet french fries, crab cakes, breaded scallops, buckets of snow crab, sandwiches and more.

Daily special: Crabby Shell’s features a different grilled fish each day. One day might be blackened red snapper with a lemon dill caper sauce atop mixed greens. The next day might include mahi-mahi or grilled tilapia with pineapple salsa, for example.

How far is the drive: This slice of Pierre-adise can be found at 205 W Missouri Ave. The drive from Sioux Falls is right around three hours, which is about the time it’ll take for a tour on the S.S. Minnow of “Gilligan’s Island.” Pun intended.

Bottom line: If you like seafood, this is your place. Swim or scuttle over this summer during seasonal hours: noon to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.