Half Shell Oyster House

Half Shell Oyster House on Airport Boulevard gives Mobilians another option when it comes to seafood.

Oyster Sampler ($18)

I can never resist ordering an appetizer when I am trying out a new place.  Since this is an oyster joint, I ordered the oyster sampler.  It has three each of Charboiled Oysters, Oysters Bienville, Oysters Rockefeller and Oyster Orleans.  Of these, I enjoyed the Oysters Bienville and Oysters Orleans the most.  The Bienville had mushroom, crab, shrimp and bacon with a light crumb crust.  I though it was very well seasoned.  Although I didn't taste much bacon in it.  The Oyster Orleans is basically the Charboiled Oysters with a yummy spice baste.  It is super rich with a touch of spicy.  I was most disappointed in the Oyster Rockefeller.  It didn't have as much flavor as I was expecting.

Blue Crab Claw ($13)

My friend, who have been to Half Shell before, ordered the Blue Crab Claws for an appetizer. These things were huge.  It was lightly battered and fried then served with a cocktail sauce.  I liked it but what's more important the little girl that was part of my party loved it.  It was pretty much her lunch.

Paneed Flounder, lobster corn bisque and asparagus with Gorgonzola 

I ordered the Paneed Flounder ($20) for lunch along with a cup of the lobster corn bisque for an up charge and the asparagus with Gorgonzola, also for an up charge for lunch.  The bisque came out first and I have to say it was delicious.  It was very rich and slightly sweet.  I didn't see chunks of lobster in it but I could taste some of the flavor.  The flounder had a dill cream sauce with some lump crab on top.  I did squeeze some lemon on top to give it a brighter flavor.  The flounder was perfectly cooked.  It was light and flaky just the way I like it.  I would have liked more of that dill sauce but like I said I made due with more lemon juice.  I didn't enjoy the asparagus as much as I thought I would.  There was still a crunch but I didn't like the greasy/soupy liquid that was in the dish.  I liked the sweet potato casserole and cheesy grits my friends had more.  I would also think the steamed broccoli would have been a good choice as well.  It would be hard to mess up steamed broccoli.

I went to lunch with four other people, who ordered three different fish dishes.  From the top is grouper and lobster oscar ($24) , bacan and pecan crusted redfish ($19.5) then red fish orleans ($24).  I was able to taste them all and I have to say I liked the red fish orleans the most in terms of flavor.  However, if you look at that plate there is a whole lot of the buttery cajun seasoning on it.  While it is delicious, it isn't exactly healthy.  Also, notice each of these have just one filet of fish while the Paneed Flounder I ordered was two.  I think I got the best deal out of the whole group.

To check out Half Shell Oyster House's menu, click here.