Major food theme on the countdown today...
#13 - MariscCo
Barcelona prides itself on serving extremely fresh seafood, and my #13 memory celebrates this fact. At MariscCo (which I found searching through restaurant reviews online), you choose your meal from various fish and shellfish presented "market style" (shown above) at the front of the restaurant, and then wait as everything is cooked in their open kitchen. At the counter, you select from a variety of shrimp, lobster (which is still alive), crab, monkfish, oysters, mussels, tuna, and other fishes. I've never encountered such a place in America, but it is a great way to pick what looks good and then have it prepared any way that you'd like (although they have recommendations which I've always found to be great).
The two staples which I've ordered on all my visits are the king prawns and octopus. The shrimp is served head-on in a delicious garlic olive oil, while the octopus is served in the typical fashion with paprika. Both dishes are incredibly tender and cooked just until the seafood is ready; too often shrimp and octopus are chewy but here the texture is indescribably good. My last trip, I had their tuna which was also excellent... seared on a flat-top for a minute on each side and then served with a simple soy sauce. The quality of the tuna, served rare, was extremely high and the flavor (the meaty fish coupled with the soy and the seared edges) was fantastic.
For me, MariscCo is a great celebration of the local seafood available in Barcelona. The front display and the simple but delicious cooking methods highlight everything that is good about the cuisine here. While American seafood restaurants mostly center their dishes around a particular item, MariscCo keeps with the "tapas" way by offering portions of any size (picked by the customer) so that a meal can be one main course, or a collection of several small samples!
#12 - Octopus with Paprika
One of the most common, and delicious, Spanish dishes is octopus served with paprika and potatoes. Other than duck confit, it's probably the one meal I've tried more than any other here. With few exceptions, the octopus is served cut into coin-shaped pieces and then coated with paprika and olive oil. For whatever reason, I find that the flavor combination here is PERFECT; the tender octopus has a very mild flavor (barely tasting like seafood) with a nice salty quality that magnifies the taste of the paprika. It is critical that the octopus be prepared well, so that it is tender rather than gummy (I've had one case where it was somewhat gummy and dry, and while it was still okay, it wouldn't qualify for this list in that state), which provides the whole dish with a unique texture-and-flavor match that I've never found anywhere else.
Sadly, I've only had this dish ONCE in America, and that was in a Spanish restaurant in Philadelphia. It is one of the foods I'll definitely miss when I return back to Clayton... and one that isn't quite so simple to make at home!
#11 - Bocadillos
Spain's answer to an American sub is the bocadillo... typically some sort of pork "deli" meat (Spanish ham, sausages, salami, bacon, etc.) served on fresh baked bread with tomato rubbed in. Bocadillos are commonly served for breakfast (between 9-10:30 AM here) and are so simple yet ridiculously good. First, the tomato inclusion is incredible... it is sweet and makes everything taste so fresh (infinitely better than a tomato slice). Next, the fresh baked bread makes a huge difference as it is crisp on the outside but airy inside. And finally, the star of the sandwich is whatever meat you select... the ham, bacon, and fuet (a type of salami is probably the best explanation) versions are my favorites, and really you cannot go wrong. When I return home, my first trip to the grocery store will be spent collecting ingredients to make bocadillos of my own, allowing me to savor the basic and delicious staple of the Spanish breakfast.
#14 - Bar Londen
#15 - Duck Confit is Everywhere
#16 - McDonalds
#17 - American Fox Television
#18 - The Granollers Bowling Alley
#19 - Scobie's Irish Pub
#20 - Prices Include Tax in Spain
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