You wouldn't normally expect fresh lobster and fish in the Sierra Nevada mountains around Lake Tahoe. However, Morgan’s Lobster Shack & Fish Market in Truckee is bringing a taste of the East Coast to the western mountains.
Not only can you sit down and enjoy fresh fish, clams and enormous lobsters, but you can also buy fresh goodies from the sea, which are flown in daily to the shack’s market.
Morgan's offers fresh Maine lobster daily — Photo courtesy of Morgan's Lobster Shack & Fish Market
Located on River Street (near the Truckee River), Morgan's is right in the middle of old downtown Truckee. The restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, specializing in lobster items like Steamed Lobster from Maine with fries, coleslaw and drawn butter; a Lobster Grilled Cheese sandwich, made with local Truckee sourdough bread; and the Classic Lobster Roll, with chunks of lobster and mayo on a griddled split bun. The Lobster Roll can also be served “California style,” with sriracha and avocado.
Other menu items include an Oyster Po' Boy ($14), with lightly spiced herb aioli; the Fried Ipswich Roll ($17); a Salmon Club ($15) with alder-smoked wild salmon, applewood-smoked bacon and lemon-dill aioli; and the Mt. Whitney Plate – named after the tallest mountain in the Lower 48 – which includes battered and fried fish, scallops, shrimp, french fries and coleslaw.
You can also pick your choice of fresh fish or shellfish and have it made to your specifications – including sauces and seasoning like Asian, Chili-Lime, Blackened and Plain.
The Lobster Grilled Cheese is just one of Morgan's sandwiches — Photo courtesy of Christina Nellemann
Side dishes include a Lobster Stew and a New England Clam Chowda' for $6, the Spinach & Kale Salad with lemon-garlic dressing for $8, Beer-Battered Onion Rings for $6, Smoked Shrimp for $9 and Fresh Seafood Cakes made from the market fresh fish.
Desserts like a Chocolate Lava Cake and the Whoopie Pie in assorted flavors are also on the menu.
Morgan’s is small and really only fits about 15 people at the wooden counter topped with photos of Northeast Coast fishing towns. But the shack is light and airy with an open kitchen and fun decor. On the ceiling and walls are wooden fishing buoys, signs advertising lobster and fish and a trophy swordfish. The shack also has a few tables on the back deck – perfect for summertime.
The daily market sells a great selection of halibut, snapper, ahi tuna, Atlantic swordfish and salmon, as well as shellfish like Dungeness crab, wild shrimp, scallops and even live Maine lobster.
Morgan's is located on River Street in Truckee — Photo courtesy of Morgan's Lobster Shack & Fish Market
