collaborations

Shake Shack and Fergus Henderson Created an Eel Burger

Eel, one of the few meats that hadn’t been turned into a burger.

In 14 years in existence, Shake Shack has done its fair share of chef collaborations: a lobster-topped burger with Daniel Humm, a Son of a Gun Chick’n Shack, a Shrimp Stack with David Chang. But the upcoming special, created with famed British chef Fergus Henderson (St. John), is the chain’s most ambitious: a smoked-eel burger topped with smoked Niman Ranch bacon, pickled red onions, crème fraîche, fresh horseradish, and watercress, for $10. You have two days only to eat it — Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16.

It’s a big deal that Shake Shack got Michelin-starred chef Henderson onboard, and clearly, he wants to flex: Eel is a hard-core ingredient that’s challenging to source and labor intensive to prep. In addition to the burger, Shake Shack will also serve St. John’s vanilla-custard doughnuts (“with sourdough notes and lemon zest,” $4) plus the restaurant’s line of wines, made at a medieval winery in the south of France ($9 for red and $8 for white).

Usually, these sorts of collaborations draw massive lines, but the idea of an eel burger is certainly polarizing to an American audience. W’eel see!

Shake Shack and Fergus Henderson Created an Eel Burger