Between mid January and mid March, there are culinary festivals celebrating this jewel of the sea. In Catalunya the better restaurants offer special menus with sea urchins as the stars. A typical menu at 40€ per person more or less, would be a dozen sea urchins (garoinas) as a starter, “fideus” which are a local speciality of noodles (pasta) and a desert, all served with the best local wines. In other parts of Spain different local offerings are served up with the sea urchins. Some hotels offer “sea urchin weekends” - for about 110€ per person you can stay in a good hotel with breakfast included as well as a sea urchin dinner and a cultural visits to places of local interest. Each year the festival includes more interesting excursions and even sea urchin meals at sea!
Of course, at other times of the year, different jewels of the sea become a speciality. Gambas de Palamòs (Palamòs prawns), for example, are a worldwide speciality to be found even as far afield as Los Angles in America in the best hotels and restaurants. These prawns cost a fortune, possibly 140€ a kilo for the largest, but having tasted them (very very occasionally), I have to say they do have a special taste of their own which is totally delicious and different from the normal prawns we consume. They are truffles as opposed to wild mushrooms.
All along the coasts of Spain you can find wonderful fresh fish and seafood. In Cadiz, Andalucia, the speciality is “urta a la roteña" which is bream cooked with tonatoes and peppers. A fish stew packed with the best fish of the area known as "abaja de pescado", is a must when visiting. Galicia, on the Atlantic coast, claims to offer 80 types of seafood, crabs and lobsters in particular. Mussels, squid and a massive variety of clams, cockles and prawns are abundant here, usually cooked in garlic, parsley and lemon and as you walk through the streets the wonderful aroma invades all your senses. In Extramadura fish is the king of “pintxos” or tapas, often spiced up with strong parprika. Another popular speciality in Spain and also south-western France and Portugal is salted cod, or “bacalao”. In times gone by it was necessary to keep the fish in salt to preserve it as of course, fridges did not exist and summer temperatures soared. This tradition is continued with passion today, and you can enjoy the most wonderful dishes of bacalao which do not in any way tatse “salty”.
About 30 minutes' drive from my town is a delightful restaurant that has 17 different bacalao dishes on the menu! This hidden-away centre of culinary excellence is called “L'Hort del Rector” (literally, the Rector's allotment or vegetable garden) and is situated on the edge of the delightful medieval stone village of Monells. The chef is Catalan and his charming wife, Canadian. They have a “menù del dia” Mondays to Fridays where you can enjoy a very good lunchtime meal for around 12€, but it is their à la carte which is so interesting, with the variety of dishes prepared with “bacalao”. My favourite is the one cooked with peppers, chili and white beans..it is truly delicious, at least for those who like spicy food. Another is salt cod with creamed potatoes, an altogether different taste sensation but equally tasty. Elsewhere, you can find yet more ways of cooking bacalao, each region having its own ideas and presentation.
Cod, though, is just one exciting speciality. Anchovies are a big thing in Spain as well. In the north of Catalunya is the seaside town of L'Escala, renouned for its anchovies and considered to be the best on the Catalunyan coast. In season, they are served fresh, for the rest of the year they are usually preserved in glass jars with olive oil and/or vinegar. They are plump and white and wonderful to eat. L'Escala boasts a museum dedicated to the anchovy and they hold a festival each year in honour of these tiny fishes.
Wherever you are near the coasts of Spain, you will have many an opportunity to discover the jewels of the sea, served as tapas or main meals. Each season brings its own delight, each region its own cuisine. Living here, I am indeed fortunate as I can go out and enjoy what the sea provides, knowing it is fresh and recently harvested, nicely presented and to be accompanied by a good local wine...but of that, another time, another blog.
Sally
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.spainbuyingguide.com/
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