Shrimp and Horse Fishermen (Oostduinkerke, Belgium)
Photos – Info – Weather – Tips – Geo Info – Starry sky [- Tides]
General information about shrimp and horse mackerel
The horse fishermen of Oostduinkerke, who fish for shrimp, were added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2013. Shrimp fishing involves dragging a net behind an out-sized horse. On the horse, in addition to the fisherman, rest 2 woven baskets in which the catch is temporarily stored. A horse fisherman typically wears a yellow oil jacket, high boots and a southwester. After fishing, the shrimp are cooked in large metal vessels. The shrimp are then peeled by hand and degusted with a regional beer. A typical beer drunk with this is the sweet and sour "Rodenbach". If you want it a little sweeter, take the "Rodenbach Grand Cru".
Tip: At top.vlaanderen you can also find more info on the hops used in beer or the Flemish Estaminets & Belgian beer culture.
The tastiest, best shrimp are the ones you can get directly from the horse fisherman. Furthermore, you can also buy "live versch-ke" (as they can only say in the West Flemish dialect so unctuous when they mean "daily fresh") at the typical fish stalls along the coastline (e.g. at the fish ladder in Ostend). It is doubtful if they are still "alive" after they are cooked, but bon. 😉 Not recommended are those you buy in the supermarket: they usually have preservatives added to them and are often flown to some Maghreb country to be peeled there. They are often a bit on the tough side and too much salted. And yes, before we forget, the type of shrimp caught in the North Sea is the "common shrimp", also called "shrimp".
A typical dish that you can get in many Belgian restaurants is the "tomato shrimp." When properly prepared, it consists of a large beef tomato (that has been stripped of its skin and inner flesh) stuffed with delicious shrimp. The tomato is normally served on a few leaves of lettuce and with homemade mayonnaise. The Belgian fries close the dish perfectly. Available in most places, just often poorly executed. Pity, but is a fact. A correctly executed tomato-shrimp can never be cheap: the basic product alone costs money, all the manual operations involved in making the dish as well.
Another typical Flemish dish that is available almost everywhere are the "shrimp croquettes": they are little rolls that have bechamel sauce and shrimp as a filling, sometimes with additional fish stock for an extra pronounced taste. You can come taste them at the annual Shrimp Festival. Every year the Shrimp Festivities of Oostduinkerke are organized. It is during these festivities that the Belgian Shrimp Spelling Championship is also organized.
Did you know that the famous hike "4-Day of the Yser" was founded in 1967 by ... yes: the Royal Order of the Horsefisher. At that time, the hike lasted only one day. Later, the Belgian Army took over the organization but the Royal Order of the Horsefisher is still a member of the organizing committee.
One last fact: note that officially you should speak of a "horse fisher," i.e., with an "n." In contrast, the traditional fraternity is still called "Order of the Horse Fisherman," without an "n." This is a historical fact. It's just a fact!
Visitor tips Shrimp and horse fishermen
General tips:
1) if you are looking for other nearby attractions, consult our Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen.
2) You can consult our overview lists: by category ( e.g. timeline, size, ...) or by region
3) You can also always consult tourist services: see our overview of tourist services
Tip 1: If You are interested in tasty shrimp croquette recipes, we recommend the book "The Shrimp Croquette - The story of the tastiest from the North Sea in a crispy crust." It was published in October 2021 by Uitgeverij Borgerhoff & Lamberigts (ISBN 978946395708). You can also obtain this book from, for example, the Ostend Tourist Office.
Tip 2: while you are at the coast, you could extend your visit by viewing the artworks displayed along the Belgian coastline. See our page about the Beaufort Triennial.
Geographical information
Address: Zeedijk 442A, Oostduinkerke-Bad, West Flanders, Belgium
Geographic coordinates:
– Google Maps: Latitude = 51.1331768 – Longitude = 2.6708859
– Open Street Maps: Latitude = 51.132939 – Longitude = 2.671187
– Altitude h = 11 m
Indication of Shrimp and Horse Fishermen on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen – Google Maps – OpenStreetMap.
Route to Shrimp and Horse Fishermen: Route via Google Maps
Meteo
5°C
| Day | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Today
22:00
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 cloudy
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5° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 95 % | 1019 mb |
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Tomorrow
22:00
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 cloudy
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5° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 93 % | 1020 mb |
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Mon Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
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cloudy
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3° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 89 % | 1019 mb |
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Tue Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
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 very light cloud cover
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6° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 16 Km/h | 92 % | 1019 mb |
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Wed Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
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very light cloud cover
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4° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 24 Km/h | 93 % | 1013 mb |
| Hour | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Today
10:00
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cloudy
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7° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 95 % | 1014 mb |
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Today
13:00
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cloudy
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10° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 85 % | 1015 mb |
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Today
16:00
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cloudy
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10° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 8 Km/h | 83 % | 1017 mb |
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Today
19:00
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cloudy
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9° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 8 Km/h | 94 % | 1018 mb |
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Today
22:00
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cloudy
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8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 8 Km/h | 95 % | 1019 mb |
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Tomorrow
01:00
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cloudy
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8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 93 % | 1020 mb |
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Tomorrow
04:00
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cloudy
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8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 88 % | 1019 mb |
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Tomorrow
07:00
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cloudy
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7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 93 % | 1019 mb |
Starry sky above Shrimp and Horse Fishermen
Internet information from and about Shrimp and Horse Mackerel Fishermen
Facebook page of the Horse Fishermen.
Calendar of the Shrimp Fishermen on Horseback.
Information about Horse Fishing in Oostduinkerke on Wikipedia.
Website of the Royal Order of Horse Fishermen.
Information about the Common Shrimp on Wikipedia.
Information about the Tomato Shrimp on Wikipedia.
Recipe for shrimp croquettes on Njam! TV.
Recipe for tomato shrimp on VTM.
Koksijde Tourist Office "Visit Koksijde"
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Westhoek Tourism (Westtoer)
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Our photos about Shrimp and Horse Mackerel Fishermen
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Photos of the Belgian Shrimp Games Championship - Edition 2025 (photos from June 28, 2025):
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78 grams peeled in 10 minutes time was the maximum after first series A.
Photos of the East Dunkirk Horse Fishermen's demonstration on Aug. 19, 2023:
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Sell fresh shrimp at the Ostend Fish Trap:
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