Delicious, healthy and 100% seafood dishes in the south of Spain
The gastronomy in the Cadiz is primarily based on seafood and combines the most traditional recipes with innovative creations that include novel foods such as plankton. We will help you identify some of the flavours you can try on your holidays.
-
Plankton, the new green food
Eat plankton and try the original idea of acclaimed seafood chef Ángel León. It is a vegetarian, very healthy and 100% natural seafood flavour enhancer. Since 2014, the European Union recognizes marine phytoplankton or plant plankton as “new food.” You can try it with rice, desserts, pastries and even cheese at Aponiente (Ángel León’s three-Michelin-star restaurant in El Puerto de Santa María), and more and more restaurants are serving it, especially in Cadiz. You can even buy it as a condiment to boost the seafood flavour of your dishes.
-
Seaweed, the marine garden
Make the most of your holidays in Cadiz by trying the seaweed-based salads. You can try them in plenty of places, and they are often served with fish and as original dishes.
-
Tapas from the sea
You can also try the cuisine from the sea with the tapas in Cadiz. Try dishes of “bienmesabe” (the famous adobo-fried fish from Cadiz), the popular shrimp tortillas, the “ortiguillas” (sea anemones fried in olive oil with a strong seafood flavour), crunchy baby squid, the fresh “piriñaca” (picadillo dressed with tomato, onion and pepper) with eggs and powerful salted foods such as cured tuna.
-
Almadraba bluefin tuna
This delicacy is unique to the area because - in addition to the quality of the fish - of the way it is caught: In the traditional and artisanal way of the almadraba, respectful of the environment. The best time to try it is in May and June, the main fishing season and when food fairs with special menus are held in towns such as Conil, Barbate, Tarifa and Zahara de los Atunes. The tastiest parts of bluefin tuna are the ventresca, the morrillo and its roe.
-
Beyond the table
There are several interesting places and activities in Cadiz that help to understand its fishing tradition. For example, the area is full of salt flats that you can visit in San Fernando, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Chiclana. This is where you can also attend the “despeque”, the manual removal of the fish from the estuaries (small reservoirs where the fish are bred and salt is cultivated). It is also possible to take part in an Almadraba fishing day (commonly know as “levantá”) between April and June.
Book yours
Choose between thousands of activities to live your best life on holiday.
