All the Best of Spain

I’m closing the week with a few of my favorite photos from our Spanish holiday. On a cool, rainy morning in Scotland, these photos of blue skies and Mediterranean waters offer a welcome diversion from daily tasks. My two ‘must do’ while in Spain were the walk to Cala Boquer and eating loads of fresh seafood, especially Cuttlefish.

Cala Boquer (cala meaning cove or inlet) is a beautiful isolated area in Northern Mallorca that’s only accessible by foot (an hour walk through beautiful countryside) or boat. The beach has original volcanic sand and is the perfect spot for snorkeling and picnicking.

After a day at Cala Boquer we stopped at the local market to pick up wine and food for dinner. For days the very white cuttlefish in all the markets had mesmerized me and we decided to try our hand at cooking this delicacy. Cuttlefish (Sepia/ Sepe/Seppie) is especially popular in many Mediterranean cuisines. The coastal regions of Spain use cuttlefish for the marine flavor and its smooth texture in traditional dishes such as paella and fish stews.

Freshly caught cuttlefish retain their perfect freshness for up to 24 hours, but will need to be cleaned. Fortunately, for me at least, the cuttlefish we purchased were cleaned and ready to grill. My husband was more that ready to do the dirty work and a perhaps a bit disappointed that he did not to get his hands dirty cleaning the odd looking Mollusca. As a side note, I’ve just googled cuttlefish and it’s a good thing I did not see these photos before our trip otherwise I would have missed out on a wonderful food. We came up with a really simple recipe based on some of the books we found at Casa Romana:

Grilled Cuttlefish
serves 4
2 large-medium sized cuttlefish
Olive oil

Salt and pepper
6 clove of garlic minced
Lemons
Small bunch of parsley, minced (optional)

Marinate fish for an hour in olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper. In the meantime, fire up the grill (you could also use an indoor grill, but we preferred to cook fish outside on the charcoal grill). Grill each side for 8-10 minutes, turning a couple of times until golden brown. Serve them at once, drizzle with plenty of fresh lemon juice.