Gastro-Holiday in Asturias

I'm back from an all-too-short visit to the North coast of Spain. We stayed a couple of nights in a small hostel in Cudillero, a small, picturesque fishing town in a natural bay at the jagged coastline of Eastern Asturias. With the rugged, green mountains as a backdrop, the pastel coloured houses fan out and up the hills around the main square, tightly packed with terrace restaurants and bustling with tourists seeking out the menus of freshly caught fish and sea food.

For only €60, you'll get 1 lobster, 1 crab, 2 velvet crabs, 2 scampis, 8 mussels, 8 razor clambs, 8 clams, 12 tiger prawns, all grilled and for sharing between two people.

We settled for a more modest mixture of various raciones (portions for sharing) of the best Mejillones a la marinera (mussels) I've ever tasted. They were steamed in and served with Sidra, the local type of a flat apple cider (see below), and it was hard to say if it was the alcohol or the taste in general which went straight to the head, but they were heavenly.

We also had some pate de cabracho (scorpion fish) which was velvety smooth and rich. Apart from that we had some chorizo a la sidra which were fine but not really up here with the seafood.

Here I am trying out my luck with the Spanish sidra. As said before, it's flat so it's poured from a straight arm above your head in a fine stream, splashing into the glass and then consumed immediately while it's still cloudy from the airing. First of all my arm wasn't straight, and secondly most of it went everywhere except inside the glass. Luckily, the waiters came and poured for us.

On the second day, we went out to a hamlet called Paredes, lost in the mountains of time. They had a special farmers' market for Easter and had set up a tent where you coud eat fresh pulpo (octopus). Again, never before had I sunk my teeth into such a soft and succulent tentacle. It had been drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and paprika, nothing else.

Here's the big cobber pot where they boiled it.

Then it was cut with a pair of scissors and served. Amazing.

They also had a barbecue with sausages and spareribs. But it was the pulpo that took the price.

In another place we had a lobster bisque. Again, very tasty although too salty after the first few spoonfuls.

And the little brother off the famous fabes asturianas: Fabes con almejas (clams).

On our way back we stopped in Oviedo and had a look at the food market. Asturias is notorious for their great variety of cheeses and dairy products.

For example, you could buy a glass bottle for 50 cents and then fill it up with fresh milk for 2 euros.

A selection of goat, sheep and cow cheese.

And of course, as in the rest of Spain the fuit and vegetable stalls are always abundant and the produce neatly displaced.

I highly recommend anyone to visit the North coast of Spain in order to change their perspetive of Spain as much more than the stereotypical beach, paella and sangria. I haven't posted any pictures of the landscape, but just google Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country or Galicia and have a look for yourself. If you want to combine your holidays with gastronomic experiences in amazingly idyllic settings, this is the place for you.