Galician Seafood

In Galicia, Spain, seafood is far more than just something to put on a plate. With centuries of fishing tradition, the sea and its harvest are woven into the fabric Galician culture and society. These are a people with saltwater in their veins.

By Sarah Murray

In fact, a meander down the menu reveals a lot about Galician society. The stories behind the dishes provide a glimpse into Galicia’s traditions, personality, and way of life.

The Octopus

As a place where many still derive their livelihoods from the land and sea, Galicia takes great pride in the quality of its produce, meat, and seafood. As a result, Galicians are very particular about their food – there is a right way to prepare any dish. And, of course, only Galician ingredients will do.

Nowhere is this pride and particularity more apparent than with the octopus. Octopus is everywhere in Galicia – from dinner plates to cartoon mascots. It can be grilled, boiled, baked in empanadas, or even used in Spanish tortillas, but the crème-de-la-crème is polbo á feira (or pulpo a la gallega).

To prepare polbo á feira, the chef boils water in a copper pot. Next, the chef dips the octopus in and out of the boiling water three times – ostensibly to achieve the right tentacle consistency – before submerging it fully. Once cooked to perfection, the chef will trim the tentacles with scissors, add a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and Spanish paprika, and serve on a wooden dish.

It goes without saying that, no matter the dish, only a Galician octopus will do. Chefs and consumers alike swear to the superior taste and texture of their local catch. The added benefit of buying local that it supports the local artisanal fisheries, which depend heavily on octopus.

Fishermen typically use traps (nasas) for catching octopus, which have a relatively low impact on the ecosystem. The octopus handles fishing pressure well thanks to its short life cycle and ability to quickly produce abundant new generations. Although there are some concerns about lack of regulatory control and underreporting of catches in the fishery, octopus is still a sustainable choice with moderation.

The Spider Crab

Family is the cornerstone of Galician life. Gathering around the dinner table for large meals is a regular affair and feasting together is all the more important on the holidays. (Know that if a Galician is serving you, you are likely to get a portion fit for three. Generosity with food is important in Galicia.)

Spider crab, or centola in Galician, is often the star of the stage for Christmas feasts in Galicia. The crab is known as the king of Galician shellfish. A name it earned both from its massive size – its shell is typically 10 to 20 cm wide – and the quality of its meat.

Thankfully, restaurants will typically do the hard work of cracking the gargantuan shells for you. Spider crabs are usually boiled; the juices and meat are often mixed together and served in the shell, sometimes with a splash of Albariño wine.

Spider crab is a relatively sustainable seafood choice, though it depends on the method of capture. Avoid crabs caught by gillnet (trasmallo or miños) as these methods can have significant bycatch. Crabs caught in traps (nasas) are a much more sustainable option, as the method has a small footprint and minimal bycatch. The most sustainable of all is the highly selective gancho y espejo method, in which fishermen would use a mirror to see the seafloor and a hook to pluck the crabs from the bottom. Unfortunately, this traditional practice has largely gone by the wayside.

Thanks to regulations in Spain, seafood products must be tagged with information about their capture, including the place, method, and date. Though the categorizations can often be more vague than would be ideal, this is a big step towards traceability and responsible consumption.

The Scallop

Spend even a short while in Galicia and you’re sure to see scallops everywhere – and not just on your plate. Images of scallops are carved into sidewalks, adorn churches, and are painted on waymarkers. The scallop shell is the symbol of the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage to the St. James Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia.

The Camino is an important part of Galician history and society. Pilgrims have been making their way across Europe to Santiago de Compostela since the 9th century. Even before that, a pagan pilgrimage traced a similar route on their path to the coastal town of Finisterra, the End of the Earth. In 2017, over 300,000 pilgrims received the Compostela (pilgrimage certificate). Pilgrims, those worse-for-wear travelers with sock tan lines you’re likely to see when in Galicia, carry a scallop shell tied to their packs.

Of course, scallops are good for eating too. You can find them prepared in a number of ways, but a popular form is stuffed scallops.  The scallops, stuffed with one of a variety of fillings, are baked and served with a béchamel sauce.

Scallops can be a sustainable seafood choice in Galicia, but it all depends on the method of capture. Marisqueo, harvesting by hand or with small tools, has a low impact on the environment. However, some scallops are harvested by trawl (arrastre) or dredging (dragas), methods that destroy seafloor habitats.

The Percebe

For the coastal communities of Galicia, the sea is a part of the way of life. Any communities rely heavily on the bounty of the sea, their economies depending on the harvesting, processing, and sale of marine resources. However, as the Galician saying goes, “o mar dá, o mar leva” (“the sea gives, the sea takes”). The wild Atlantic Ocean is no easy place to earn a living.

Though braving the tempestuous ocean is a risk no matter what, Percebeiros (percebe harvesters) take these risks to new heights. Percebes (goose barnacles) are a Galician delicacy, though they may look more like alien life forms to the uninitiated. Like many barnacles, percebes grow on the wave-battered coastline. But these barnacles like it rough: the bigger the waves, the colder the water, the bigger the percebe.

Harvesting the percebe is a perilous and sometimes life-threatening affair. To reach the barnacles, percebeiros must join them in their brutal habitat of pounding waves and jagged rock. Some reach them by diving, swimming in the turbulent waters. Others scale the cliffs; dangling from a cable or free climbing, lunging down between the waves to scrape the barnacles off the rocks. Many have died in the process, but for those who dare it, there is a significant payoff. Percebes are one of Galicia’s priciest seafoods. Prices are often around 60 euros per kilo, but can reach 200 euros per kilo during peak season.

Though the percebe’s popularity did lead to overexploitation, its situation has improved thanks to management plans that take into account biological and social realities. In addition, because they are harvested by hand, there is no risk of bycatch and minimal habitat destruction.

The Sardine

Galicia, a terra meiga, the land of witches, is a place of magic. On no night is this more apparent than the festival of San Xoán. Though it is, in name, a Catholic holiday, this festival of fire, all-night revelry, and superstitious traditions has clear pagan roots.

The star of the culinary show on San Xoán is the sardine. As luck would have it, the sardine’s moment of peak taste and quality coincides with the annual festival held every June 23rd. On the night of San Xoán, stacks of sardines are skewered on sticks or laid on grills and roasted over the bonfires. A word to the wise: don’t wear anything you’re too attached to on San Xoán because you’re guaranteed to go home smelling like a smoky sardine.

Sardines are an abundant fish that are typically caught with a purse seine (cerco) in Galicia.  With purse seining, fishermen target particular schools of fish and encircle them in a net, drawing up the bottom like a purse. The method is selective, though other species feeding on the schools may be caught up in the net.  On the whole, sardines are a sustainable choice.

The Cockle

When considering the impact of fisheries on society, it is all too easy to forget the role of women. However, women are an integral part of the seafood sector in Galicia. Although men are traditionally the ones who go out to sea, the processing and sale of fish are the domain of women.  However, there is one type of fishing where the women have traditionally been the harvesters: marisqueo a pie (shellfishing on foot).

To this day, the grand majority of marisqueo a pie is done by women. Visit any ría (the fjord-like inlets of the Galician coast) at the right time of day, and you’re likely to see groups of women wading in the waters or combing the beaches in search of bivalves. The rías of Galicia are ideal territory for mollusks; their diverse habitats harbor a rich abundance and diversity of species. 

The cockle, or berberecho, is a popular shellfish in Galicia. From a simple plate of steamed cockles to the more elaborate empanadas (a type of Spanish pie), there are many ways to enjoy the bivalve.

Shellfishers harvest cockles with a variety of fishing gears in Galicia. The harvest method makes all the difference when it comes to sustainability. The methods used by women (marisqueo a pie) – collecting with small rakes or (even better) by hand – are sustainable and have minimal impacts on the environment. However, cockles harvested by dredging (rastros or dragas) should be avoided as the practice is highly damaging to seafloor habitats.

Thanks to the small scale and high selectivity, marisqueo a pie is very sustainable – Especially now that some mariscadora associations have developed plans for stewarding their ecosystems, managing the resources sustainably, and supporting the bivalve populations through hatchery programs.

The Albariño

An essential part of Galician culture is taking the time to enjoy life, especially when it comes to a good meal. There is no hurried restaurant turnover here; meals and company are to be savored. And what better way to do that than with a glass (or two) of wine?

To wash down all of that delicious seafood, Galicia’s land has provided the perfect partner: the Albariño. The Denomination of Origin Rías Baixas, a region in southern Galicia, is hailed the world over for its Albariños. Grown on hills overlooking the sea, this dry, aromatic white wine has notes of melon, nectarine, or citrus, with a subtle saltiness fitting for its seaside home. The refreshing wine pairs perfectly with seafood.

The epicenter of Albariño territory is Cambados, la villa del Albariño. The town hosts an Albariño festival every year on the first weekend of August. As Galicians think Albariño is best enjoyed with a full stomach, the festival is also a great opportunity to sample the regions dishes and seafood.

Sarah is a researcher, writer, photographer, and artist with a lifelong love for the oceans. 

SEVENSEAS Media is close to reaching our fundraising goal thanks to donations from wonderful supporters like you! We are aiming to raise $14,000 before April 15. Please consider a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button here.

Find the latest articles on SEVENSEAS Media here.

Want to get in touch with questions or a submission? Contact us here.