peru travel: Spanish Seafood Salad

Canned squid, mussels, and baby eels don?t tend to be the most appetizing list of items to a regular american household. I know I was reluctant to work with them as well even though we were in Barcelona for a holiday vacation, and they specialize in canned seafood. I am now convinced that the Spaniards are definitely onto something as long as you get the best stuff, see Mr. Bourdain on the goods ? ?Bourdain in Spain

The food below is now attainable for a US consumer through a multitude of Spanish importers online, but as always, food tastes better on vacation, and especially when you?re getting it in the country of origin. This was luckily the case for the Spanish seafood salad described in the recipe below.

Barcelona Boqueria Market

My family was fortunate enough to spend the holidays in Barcelona, Spain this past winter, and as a food obsessed family we took full advantage of the surroundings. While we did have a functioning kitchen in the flat where we stayed (shameless plug for www.airbnb.com for the awesome digs), we were out on the town, eating as many plates of food as possible. If it sounded good, we were on it, tapas galore and churros du jour. Please ignore the incorrect use of du jour and just enjoy the rhyme!

One of the items my brother and I were dying to try was the famed seafood. While my brother was more focused on gourmet canned seafood, I was bit more obsessed with tracking down as much grilled octopus as I could find. When done well, octopus may be my favorite protein. After scouring multiple food meccas throughout the city, we finally settled on a small shop that kept busy at El Mercat de la Boqueria, the primary food market in Barcelona?s city center. I?ve always found the true vital sign of good food establishments throughout the world is based on the flow of locals, and we followed that same creed here.

My brother and I conjured up our Castilian Spanish from childhood, tried to pass it off on our Catalonian merchant, and we did our best to extract recommendations for ?la mejor peces en la caja? translation?.?the best seafood in a box?. Luckily she knew what we were talking about.

This wonderful woman also had octopus cooked, tenderized, and vacuum sealed ready to go. Octopus is typically served in Spain ?a la Gallego? as Galicia is the province most known for its octopus dishes. You?ll see this in most Spanish restaurants with a drizzle of olive oil (Spanish of course, the Italians don?t know oil) and sprinkling of smoked paprika (Spanish of course, the Hungarian is no match), I joke but you get the idea

To highlight these wonderful items, we tried to let them speak for themselves, so we combined a mix of fresh frisee and butter lettuce and quick pickled onions to accompany the seafood. We marinated the octopus then torched the tentacles in the fire of the stove. While I would not?recommend?putting a dish like this together with your regular supermarket canned fare, with some?research?and easy leaps of faith on some Spanish import websites (www.latienda.com and www.despanabrandfoods.com) you can get these wonderful ingredients ready in your pantry until you want to try a fresh (canned) seafood salad.I know it seems crazy, but the food tasted amazing and wonderfully fresh even from the can. Pop a bottle of bubbly Spanish cava and you just may transport yourself over to Barcelona at least for a night!

Please enjoy!

Makes 8 servings:

6 cups of frisee (can be from anywhere)
6 cups of butter lettuce (can be from anywhere)
2 cans of Spanish mussels
2 cans of Spanish baby squids
1 jar of Spanish baby eels
12 oz of prepared Spanish octopus
2 T Spanish Olive Oil
1 T Spanish Paprika

Grill or char octopus for 2-3 minutes per side or until slight crispiness forms on suction cups on tentacles
Thinly slice octopus and mix with olive oil and paprika. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
Wash and tear frisee and butter lettuce and mix together. Season greens with small amount of salt and pepper.
Place greens on middle of plate, and then proceed to evenly serve mussels, squid, eels, and octopus amongst plates.?
Pop some cava, and enjoy!?