The Seafood Side of Spain
In fact, for me, this place is the only reason to go to Las Ramblas. With 7 kinds of shrimp, live lobsters crawling off tables, hundreds of crazy-looking fish and creatures I don't even recognize, I will be entertained for hours. Thank Neptune (or his Spanish twin Neptuno) we have rented an apartment with a hot plate - now I won't have to go away empty-handed. (Because I would rather eat a raw flounder than leave without buying something. Yes, thank Neptune indeed for that hot plate!)
People who know my appetite intimately sometimes joke that I am on the "Seafood Diet" - which translates to "I see food, I eat it."
And in the case of the market in Barcelona, they do have a point. I can hardly restrain myself. Like a man possessed, I ordered up a pile of mini-squid, some small spiny lobsters, a handful one of the shrimp varieties, and rushed home for my fix. Damn, I should have gotten more!!! Heartfelt "thanks" goes to the clever lady who read my mind and snuck a few extra shimp into my bag to make my purchase an even 20€.
Great company, a hot pan, some lemon, some olive oil and a little garlic created one of the most memorable Barcelona meals this season.
We ate with balcony doors open onto narrow Carrer de la Palla with a touristy cacophony below and our peaceful plate of sweet, sweet seafood, tasting the way it's supposed to taste. (I'm saying this not because I made it but because it was really, really good.)
This is souvenir shopping at its worst (who wants to take live eels home in their suitcase?)... And also at its best.
Mercat de Sant Josep, La Boqueria
www.boqueria.info
La Rambla de Sant Josep
Barcelona,
Spain
