With its ideal location on the Atlantic coast, Galicia is a seafood lovers paradise.  There are over eighty species of fish caught off the coast of Galicia. Crabs and lobsters abound in the area and dotted along estuary shorelines are restaurants specialising in these delicacies. The wonderful aroma of freshly fried fish with garlic parsley and lemon, wafts through the streets of the coastal villages.  Mussels, squid and a massive variety of clams, cockles and prawns are abundant on the coast of Galicia.  No wonder then that Galicia is known as the seafood capital of Spain. Galician food is quite rustic but modern day chefs often give the menu's a new twist and turn what were  local everyday dishes into something quite spectacular.  The rocky coast around La Coruna is called the costa de morte or death coast because of the numbers of boats which have capsized in the area, fishing boats take huge risks trawling here, the Atlantic weather is often unpredictable. 

Where else other than Galicia, could you find street vendors selling octopus? Octopus is a Galician delicacy.  After being beaten to tenderise The octopus is boiled in large  vessels before being cut into small pieces   and flavoured with salt and paprika .  If you want to sample a real Galician speciality try some percebes.  Percebes are goose neck barnacles which are a Galician favourite harvested from the rocks around the shoreline when the tide is in.  Gathering these creatures is no mean feat and can be quite dangerous, The result is that percebes fetch a very high price.

As well as being delicious, scallops are a symbol of  Galicia and the pilgrims way.  The French name for scallop is coquille St Jaque or the St James cockle and even today people walking the pilgrims way wear the scallop badge.  Santiago de Compestela is the gourmet capital of Galicia and probably the whole of Spain.  The local wine Ribeiro is the perfect accompaniment to seafood.  Ham is another Galician favourite, the hams are cured for considerably less time in Galicia than most of the rest of Spain producing a lighter flavour and a firmer texture without excessive salt.  Smoked pork sausage or "chorizo" is also produced in the area and is  used in many dishes including casseroles.  The lush countryside in Galicia produces some fine cattle and beef is also extensively eaten. 

One of the main harvests of the sea, is the Galician mussel which abounds in the area.  The Galician variety is exported all over Spain. 

Spanish Recipe Books

If you'd like to try some authentic Spanish cooking, there are a whole range of books available including regional recipes. 

1080 Recipes From Simone Artega

REVIEWS

"I had heard about 1080 Recipes from Spanish friends, who claim that this book is the most reliable guide to cooking Spanish food. My language skills are OK, but not up to following recipes, so it's great to have the book in English. It's a substantial volume, with lots of colourful illustrations and it's going to take me a while to work through all the recipes. As you might expect there are a lot of seafood recipes - almost 150, but I was pleasantly surprised to find 136 pages on Vegetables and Mushrooms, which will help me to do more interesting things with the contents of the weekly veg box. It would make a great Christmas present - it's more interesting than the Nigella/Jamie books! I have to give it five stars, as it's such good value for such a beautiful, and useful, book." Topsy East Sussex

"You will not be disappointed with this book. Every meal I have cooked was delicious (must have been 10 different ones so far). It is excellent for both advanced and inexperienced cooks. The soup section is amazing. Simple paella (No. 210) is really, very simple and tasty.
I would recommend it as a gift for anyone." M.Massin London

Delicioso Penelope Casas

REVIEW

"I first learned of Casas when I read her "Uncommon Guide" to Spain. She clearly loves the country and is devoted to its accurate representation. Her "Uncommon Guide" focused on areas and their foods. "Delicioso!" is the next best thing to discovering Spain. If you can't go, you can at least make the food. Her recipes are detailed and easy to follow. She also gives you some background on the recipes and covers tapas to seafood to desserts. The results are truly delicioso!"

Rick Stein's Seafood Lover's Guide

Love it! Love it! Love it!,

"A great book for seafood novices. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fish but is too scared to try cooking it at home. Rick's easy to follow recipes are simple, delicious, and quick to do. What's more, mine even came out looking like the photo!! What more can you ask for?"

"A Perfect book for those who are advanced in the cooking of fish and live in the UK or Ireland. Rick's TV programme was great and I had hoped the book would be full of recipes containing simple and wholesome ingredients with detailed method, comment and to finish a photo. All was there except the Photo and should you not live in the UK or Ireland you will have little use for the Fish shop and restaurant address and trivia included. I shall just have to buy other fish cookery books from this excellent chef."