Only In Beaufort: Heaven -- and nostalgia -- served on a bun

There's a rule in product marketing that says if you can't be first, be best.

Sometimes a product manages to be both.

That's the case with the shrimp burger at the Shrimp Shack on St. Helena.

Since 1978, a simple blend of fried shrimp on a bun has been served at a simple wooden outpost just outside the Harbor River Bridge.

Hilda Upton, her husband, Bob and a family friend and cook opened the Shrimp Shack to fill what they saw as a need.

Back then, most of the local shrimp was exported and few restaurants existed that far out toward the islands.

The trio developed the shrimp burger for public consumption, though it's something Bob and his fellow shrimpers had cooked out on the boat or at home for years.

In the time since, other restaurants tried their hand at the sandwich.

Hilda Upton says she has a secret that keeps her's at the head of many diners' list.

"What I can guarantee is that there's very little filler - the majority of the burger is shrimp," she said.

The shrimp also have a short trip from ocean to bun.

Upton owns Gay Fish Company with her two brothers. It sits right across Highway 21 from the eatery.

During shrimping season, the shrimp comes out of the water, onto the boats, back to the dock, into the back of a truck and across the road where shack employees head and peel them.

We're left to guess the specifics of what happens next. But fans are less concerned with the "how" than the "when."

"When I was in high school, we would skip class to go out to get their burger," said Michael Coxwell of Beaufort.

Others were inspired to ignore the odometer and the miles when the craving overcomes them.

"When visiting Charleston, we drove all the way to the Shrimp Shack just for a Shrimp Burger, and we lived in Richmond at the time." said former Beaufort resident Juli Cruciotti.

While locals and tourists make up most of the customers, it's that third category -- the former residents who make a point of returning -- that thrills Upton the most.

"I love when people who once lived here come back," she said. "It's like an old friend just touching base."

And biting into a shared past.

Ryan Copeland is a Beaufort native. He can be reached at rlcopeland@hargray.com.

This story was originally published April 25, 2015 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Only In Beaufort: Heaven -- and nostalgia -- served on a bun."