The warm seas that lap the shores of the island of Menorca are brimming with a bounty of delicious sea life. In restaurants all over the island, you can sit down to the catch of the day, fresh from the sea. If you’re thinking of going to Menorca on holiday, here are a few classic seafood dishes you can expect to see on the menu!
Caldereta de llagosta
The island’s best-loved seafood dish is without a doubt this rich lobster stew, which is often served on thin slices of toast. Chefs make this stew by first creating a sofrito, a base sauce of garlic, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. Then the fresh, live, local lobsters are added to the simmering sauce. Unfortunately, this dish is only available in the spring and summer, since the local lobsters are protected and can only be caught between March and August.
Escopinyes
Get a fresh taste of the sea by snacking on a few escopinyes, or clams. These freshly-harvested bivalves are often eaten raw with lemon juice, or baked with breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley. You might also feast on the clam’s cousin, the mussel, which clings to rocks on the sea’s edge.
Goose Barnacles
If you’re feeling daring, try sampling these bizarre-looking barnacles, which cling to rocks and floating debris. These filter-feeding crustaceans get their name from their long, black goose-like necks and beaky head. They are often described as tasting of the sea – briny, fresh, and pure.
Fish
If you’re looking for something a bit more recognisable, seafood restaurants offers countless types of fish. Grouper, with its mild flavour and firm texture, is often served in a stew or grilled with mayonnaise. Sea bream is a succulent white-fleshed fish that is often served baked. The more robust-tasting red mullet is commonly served either grilled or baked with potatoes. Any of these locals is sure to be delicious on the plate!
If you’re planning a holiday to Menorca, don’t miss out on tasting the wealth of local flavours swimming just beneath the waves. No matter what your seafood tastes are, the waters around Menorca can provide you with a taste of the ocean.
Menorcan culture is a patchwork of international influences, and these influences even extend to Menorca’s cuisine.
Menorca is well-known for its gin, wine, and cheese, but this tiny island may have another claim to culinary fame.
Mahón cheese, as it is known, is quite possibly Menorca’s most famous export, and no trip to this island is complete without a taste.
