SPANISH FISH: WHAT TO CHOOSE

Year after year, Spain is at the top of the ranking of European countries regarding their fish consumption (the number at some points goes up to 92% of the population that regularly includes fish in their diet). Unfortunately, the same rankings show that Spanish young people gradually turn away from this tradition, although it’s not a good idea at all.

The fact that fish is very good for your health is well-known. However, in Spain, fish is not only healthy but also delicious. This is because of the variety of fishes, so river ones as sea ones, and also the abundance of unique recipes. This is why if to come to Spain and not to try fish is almost equal to a crime.

The range of fish is somewhat overwhelming, so here’s a short introduction, which will help you to make the right choice.

1. Merluza (Hake)

The most popular among the Spanish fish. Merluza is a white sea fish. The most popular dish with merluza is merluza in the Roman style (merluza a la romana), in essence, merluza tempura. Behind the name of the dish is a long story, which takes us back to the times when the Portuguese missionaries arrived in Japan. Despite that they did not succeed in converting Japanese into Christianity, they still managed to leave their mark in the culture and history of the country. For instance, the very recipe of tempura came from the way of making fish and vegetables that the missionaries taught Japanese.

2. Sardine / Boqueron (European Anchovy)

These two blue fishes take second place in relation to popularity in Spain. Regarding sardines, one of the most interesting recipes is sardines in escabeche sauce (sardinas en escabeche), which has a unique bitterish flavour thanks to the big amount of vinegar. Speaking of boqueron, this small in size fish is often used as a tapa, snack. The most common recipe is boqerons in vinegar but no less delicious are fried boquerons or boqueron tempura.

3. Bacalao (Cod)

About this white fish, they say you either love it or hate it. As there is no cod in the Spanish waters, it is brought usually from Norway. But you shouldn’t think that this is some newly-arisen trend. Actually, as far as in the XIth century, the Basque sailors, who would go really far hunting whales, brought cod back home. To preserve the fish, they soaked it in water. This is why Spanish cod has a very special flavour. There are numerous recipes on how to make it. I will particularly mention bacalao in pil-pil sauce (bacalao al pil-pil), which is made of olive oil and garlic.

4. Lenguago(Sole)

Another commoner at the Spanish table, this fish belongs to white ones. Its popularity is linked to how easy it is to make it. Thanks to its flattened body, lenguago can be fried in a few minutes. Naturally, most restaurants serve it on the grill (lenguado a la plancha).

5. Tuna

Tuna is one of the blue fishes, and it is particularly popular among the Japanese (some people say that this fish is the key to their longevity). The Spanish also appreciate this fish a lot and also prefer it raw. The most popular dish from tuna is tuna tartar. If you are not a fan of raw fish, you can ask to make it on the grill(atún a la plancha)