on the bank of the Calumet River at 95th Street in the South Side of Chicago is Calumet Fisheries. A bare-bones seafood shack dating back to the heyday of the city’s industrial past, Calumet is one of the only smokehouses left in Chicago that still smokes fish the old fashioned way. Employees will tell you that smoking fish this way — with only salt, spices, and hours of smoke from hickory, cherry, and oak logs — is indeed an art. They say that nothing beats tradition, and they wouldn’t dream of changing their recipe. The fish is first cut into generous pieces, then strung for hanging inside the smokehouse before it’s cured, spiced, and smoked for at least six hours. Not many places in the city, let alone in the country, still smoke fish the way Calumet does. Their smokehouse is the same one they had at the beginning, built with Chicago bricks and now covered with layers of char from almost a century of smoking seafood.
CALLIELIPKIN.COM
CALLIELIPKIN.COM
Upon visiting the rather unassuming red and white hut, you may recognize the 95th Street Bridge made famous by “The Blues Brothers” in 1980. Or maybe you recognize the building from Anthony Bourdain’s 2009 “No Reservations” feature. Either way, you are more than missing out if you haven’t experienced this local gem. In 2010, they were awarded “America’s Classic” from the James Beard Foundation. Generations of customers visit this cash-only take-out restaurant from across state lines. Still run today by the Kotlick-Toll family, Calumet boasts an incredible menu of both house-smoked and fried fish. You’ll find everything from Lake Trout, salmon, and smoked shrimp to white fish, sturgeon, and eel on their menu.
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