Tracy’s King Crab Shack, Juneau, Alaska

Cruising Alaska on the Celebrity Century, the food is so good (and so abundant) that it’s madness to be thinking about eating when we’re ashore in the state capital, Juneau.

But a couple of tour guides have told me about Tracy’s King Crab Shack, and while I don’t know if she is paying the guides to spruik for her, various magazines such as Food & Wine and Conde Nast Traveler have also raved about her food.

Anyway, I figure, if I’m in Alaska, I shouldn’t miss the opportunity to tuck into the world’s most sought after crab, regardless of how little room there is in my belly for yet more food.

So off we trot to a parking lot in the shadow of our cruise ship, where various food trucks are offering takeaway and snack foods. Tracy (“Best legs in town!”) has two vans at the far end of the lot, one where you place your order and the other where you collect it. An area with outdoor tables and chairs has been set aside for the crowd of people wanting to try her crab cakes, crab rolls, crab bisque and crab legs.

I ordered one leg of Bering Sea Red King Crab for $24, the finest Tracy sells (no point doing anything by halves!) I could have gone for the cheaper (but still utterly delicious) Dungeness crab or for a bucket of the premium crab for $110. The bucket contains 3 to 4 large legs with shoulder meat and claw, and we saw plenty going to the tables in the short time we were there.

Although I ordered one leg, I was actually given two. Perhaps Tracy felt they weren’t large enough or maybe she was feeling generous, I’m not sure, but in any case they were whoppers. I can’t even begin to imagine how big the crab must be.

The flesh was the sweetest I have ever tasted and it was such a joy to be able to extract it quite easily. I’m a lazy eater, I don’t like fighting for my food, and although I enjoy crab it’s not something I eat a lot of, simply because I can’t be bothered with all the fiddling around, trying to extract the meat. Tracy had scored the full length of the legs so they were quite easy to prise open, and because they were so big, it was easy to reach in and extract the meat from the joints.

Oh boy, was it good! I can highly recommend a visit to Tracy’s King Crab Shack if ever you find yourself in Juneau, Alaska.

We stopped in Juneau during our cruise on board Celebrity Century. Read all about the cruise in my earlier blog post.

Fact file:

Tracy’s King Crab Shack
356 S. Franklin Street
Juneau
Alaska
10.30am – 8pm (ish)
Tel: (907) 723 1811
www.kingcrabshack.com