seafood? Galicia? Summer? Well of course!
The cliché says that summer is not the time for seafood in Galicia, that the months that do not have an R in their name are the season to avoid these products.
And although this is true to a certain extent and there is a part of the species that are closed at this time, It is also true that there are others that are still available on the market.
So yes, if you can come back in November or January for the full experience, of native crabs at their best moment or of products as unusual as santiaguiños –if you are lucky enough to find them– do it.
But if you are going to travel to Galicia during the summer months, we have good news: perhaps there is not everything and there is some species that is not at its best time of the year, but there are many varieties that are on the market right now and that will make you enjoy.
The important thing is to know what to ask for and where to ask for it.
The important thing is to know what to order and where to order it. And to clarify a little all this we spoke with Simón Juncal, from Pescados Noroeste, one of the distributors in the port of A Coruña that works with some of the best restaurants in Galicia and that, through its website, also serves at home to individuals, so even if you don't make a Galician getaway this year, it's a name that should be noted down.
“Winter is the best time, but it is true that It is now when most people come and it is true that you can find very interesting things” Simon comments.
“The barnacle, for example, is one of those that are doing well this season. Or the crayfish. Shrimp is also a good option in summer, although this year it is scarce. And the crab , although it is better in a few months, it is now on the market and it is good. Like the lobster: grilled or in salpicón It is going to do a very good job now in the summer”.
In any case, Simón encourages us to also try other seafood: “although when we think of a seafood platter we perhaps think of crab, lobster and other similar products, I would encourage people to order cockles or razor clams in the restaurants. Or to discover the black scallop, which comes from the Ferrol estuary and is spectacular”.
And that has nothing to do, I point out, with what is often found with that name and which is actually queen scallop, a similar species that is fine when fresh and Galician, but often arrives frozen from Peru.
"The carneiro (or escupiña) , if you find it, it is also entering the market strongly and it is very good. And the mussel. Sometimes we don't think about it because it has a very cheap price, but it's a great product”.
It's true, a portion of good mussels, by the sea and facing the sunset, is a real luxury. So, paying attention to the specialist, we embarked on a route through some of the Galician restaurants where seafood rules, those in which you know that the product will not fail and that, whether in summer or in the middle of winter, the experience will be a success.
Scallops in sweet and sour sauce
TO MUNDIÑA (TO CORUÑA)
We begin with the recommendation of Simón Juncal: “A Mundiña is one of those that you know will not let you down. Whatever they have will be fine. If I have to recommend one in the city, speaking of seafood, it would be this one”.
Privileged location in the center, Local recently renovated and, in addition, great product. You can not ask for much more.
FONTEVELLA (CALDEBARCOS, CARNOTA)
The Fontevella is a recently renovated traditional eating house in the heart of Caldebarcos, a small port at one end of the longest beach in Galicia.
Its fish and shellfish are mostly local and the offer changes depending on what the market offers. Ask for some longueiróns (a relative of the razor that is caught in the area) , some crabs, if any, and enjoy the views.
RIVERS (OR FREIXO, OUTES)
O Freixo is a small port at the bottom of the Noia estuary which was, at the time, one of the main shipbuilding centers in Galicia.
But O Freixo is also known for its oysters and for its inshore fishing, so it is a highly recommended stop for lovers of seafood.
With its pleasant terrace facing the port, the Ríos restaurant is one of the references in the area. The oysters they are almost mandatory here. And the cockles, from the neighboring Testal sandbank, one of the main fishing areas.
O Freixo is also known for its oysters and for its inshore fishing
SUPPLIES 2.0 (SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA)
A decade old, this small restaurant has become in its own right a one of the great classics of the city.
And he has achieved it thanks to always driving a wonderful seafood product, which is supplied in the neighboring food market.
Sometimes served in the simplest way, open steamed, and other times in updated versions, any product you find on their suggestion board is going to be worth it.
And if you add to that the great atmosphere that is always on the terrace, rain (yes, even if it rains) or shine, this is one of the names that I would have written down if you are going to visit the city.
Abastos 2.0: an essential stop in Santiago de Compostela
LOXE MAREIRO (RAIL, VILAGARCÍA DE AROUSA)
The coastal version of Abastos 2.0 , with the same team and the same philosophy behind it, but with the addition of enjoying that terrace, or the views from that window, one of the most Instagrammed in Galicia.
Put yourself in his hands and let yourself go to have a completely different experience from the Rías Baixas.
TO CENTOLEIRA (BUEU)
To Centoleira, on the beach of Beluso, It is one of the few hundred-year-old restaurants in Galicia. For that alone it would be worth it, but also It is one of the great seafood specialists, famous for the varied baskets they offer in winter.
Now, during the summer, there are also options. You can choose seafood by weight or order one of his combined Tesserae: crab + barnacle, crab + Norway lobster, crab + shrimp…
A Centoleira, one of the few hundred-year-old restaurants in Galicia
PORTO TWO BOATS (VILADESUSO, OIA)
This restaurant by the sea a few kilometers south of Baiona It is one of those recommendations that they often make you when you ask for a place that is not overcrowded, with a good product and in a beautiful setting on the south coast.
Its terrace, practically on top of the sea, is a luxury. And the product they handle is usually of quality: clams, cockles, barnacles and, if you're lucky, lobsters from the neighboring A Guarda fish market.
Porto dos Barcos
NITO (NURSERY)
The reference in the Galician Cantabrian coast is this restaurant that from a traditional eating house has mutated into one of the most comfortable restaurants in the province.
The fish are excellent. traditional dishes such as tuna roll (now, during the summer) or the squid in ink They don't fail either. And the shellfish: that lobster splash, those clams, grilled or with beans, those barnacles.
And all with the spectacular views of the estuary as a background. If you can, try to get one of the tables on the terrace when making your reservation.
The reference in the Galician Cantabrian coast is in the Hotel Ego