FISH MARKET (SANTOÑA-CANTABRIA)

Fresh from the sea, at a more than fair price, with outstanding quality and a wide selection to choose from, you can enjoy a delicacy like Cantabrian fish: robust from living in a rough sea, naturally flavorful, and of just the right size because it comes from waters that are carefully protected.

Here you can find small bonito, weighing 3 to 4 kg, which they will prepare to your liking. We were struck by the sign that said “embotar.” We didn’t understand the word at first, but we asked, and as many of you may have guessed, it means canning and packing in jars. That clear.

Shellfish as exquisite (at least to us) as the percebes (goose barnacles), not very large but with an extraordinary taste of the sea, at a very affordable price, and not to be missed.

Clams of different kinds, for cooking marinera-style or eating raw with a knife, nécoras (velvet crabs) with all their coral inside, cabracho (scorpionfish), difficult to prepare but exquisite in flavor. In other words, a seafood feast we can prepare at home.

And of course, anchovies. Although it is the same animal, it has three different names. When freshly caught and unprepared, it is called bocarte. When it has been salted and pressed, it takes the name anchoa, and when it is prepared in vinegar, it becomes boquerón. So all these names refer to the same fish.

You can also buy anchovies preserved in brine, if you know how, can, and don’t mind cleaning them. We admit they are expensive, but try following the process to obtain the anchovies we buy ready-made in jars or tins. The base is the same: anchovies in brine.

We hope you enjoy it, because it is a privilege we have in Spain, so much sea, so much fishing, and so much variety, a delicacy we must look after, because everything has its limits.

Cantabria Treats #almejas #anchoas #bocarte #bonito #boqueron #Cantabria #necora #santoña