Galician Seafood – OYSTERS

We visited Galicia a few years ago for our granddaughter’s baptism. We shall never forget the glorious seafood to be found there or the banquet that we sat down to after the church ceremony. Our daughter-in-laws family were all fishermen, and they supplied the banquet – all 13 courses of it, only one of which was not seafood. It was a leg of Galician lamb. All the other courses were locally caught seafood, starting with langoustines that would not even fit on the plate. Oysters, Mussels, scallops, clams, sardines, octopus and some seafood I had never even seen before, but absolutely delicious and freshly caught that morning. This article deals primarily with Galician oysters, but we also give you some of the recipes that we were served at the seafood banquet.

Oysters are fascinating creatures. They can change sex as circumstances require – male one minute, female the next. What has become the object of laborious research by modern-day scientists, must have been suspected by the ancient Romans. It was not purely by chance that they glorified oysters as an effective aphrodisiac — an opinion that is still widely held today. The angular mollusc with its surprisingly tender centre is particularly rich in protein, with a considerable proportion of vitamins and minerals, and is often prescribed for anaemia, due to its high iron content. At the same time, oysters are virtually fat-free, thereby guaranteeing a minimum level of harmful substances, since these can only accumulate in the fatty tissue of marine life.

OYSTER FARMING

Even centuries ago, Galician oysters enjoyed a good reputation among Spain’s upper classes. As early as the 16″‘ century, they were being marinated and sent in the form of ostras en escabeche from Vigo to the royal court in Madrid.

Today, however, native oysters are virtually unheard of along the Galician coast. Nevertheless, breeders in special oyster farms have been experimenting with different varieties of the mollusc for around 25 years. The main type of oyster bred in Galicia is the European oyster (Ostrea edulis), which is imported from France and has produced outstanding results.

The Portuguese oyster (Crassostea angulata) and ]Japanese oyster (Crossostrea gigas) are also farmed on a smaller scale.

The bays found along the Galician coast provide ideal conditions for oyster breeding, with their constant supply of fresh Atlantic water. While the varieties originating in France need roughly four years in their native waters to reach harvesting size, the ideal water temperature and high concentration of food found in Galician bays mean they can be harvested after only two to two-and-a-half years.

The breeding process involves mature animals being sent to the oyster farms’ laboratories in vessels filled with sea water. Heating the water stimulates fertilization. The eggs soon develop into free-swimming larvae, which cling to rocks or empty mussel shells in their natural habitat.

In the breeding plants, the ropes on which the oysters are to grow are prepared with cement, so that the larvae can cling to them. They feed on phytoplankton from the brackish water and gradually grow a slate-like shell. Depending on their size, the water temperature and amount of food available, oysters can process up to 5.2 gallons (20 litres) of water an hour, to filter out the necessary nutrients and ultimately add to the size and flavour of the oysters for the consumers’ benefit.

OYSTERS FRESH ON THE TABLE

Unlike France, where different varieties of oyster have a real cult following, Galician consumers usually tend to choose by size alone. The largest, fleshiest oysters are the most sought. However, real oyster connoisseurs value the smaller specimens for their delicate flavour of the Atlantic.

Galicia’s most important centre for the oyster trade is the port of Vigo, where mussels are sorted by size and sold in markets and at auction. In the old town and around the harbour area there are special ostrerías — stores specializing in fresh oysters. On weekdays in the Ría da Pescadería, the oyster alley above the ferry port, the ostreras (oyster women) sell fresh oysters to eat there and then or take out.

Business is brisk, particularly around lunch time, when locals and visitors slurp their ostras
down with relish — usually with no accompaniment whatsoever, just a small glass of white Albariño wine.

However, in high-class restaurants diners will also find oysters baked with breadcrumbs and seasoning; a particularly popular dish in Vigo is oysters with mushrooms (ostras a la viguesa).

Occasionally, creative cooks will enrich their oysters with some leek and truffles. Oyster soup is even occasionally found on Galician menus and, as in the time of the Hapsburgs, ostras en escabeche (marinated oysters) are still a great delicacy. Purists will, however, argue that the only way to eat oysters is straight, washed down with sea water.

Seafood Recipes from Galicia

MEJILLONES EN ESCABECHE – Marinated mussels

4 1/2 lbs/2 kg mussels
½ cup/125 ml alive 0il
1/2 cup/125 ml white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of mild paprika
½ teaspoon hot paprika
Salt
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns

Wash the mussels thoroughly, then steam them in a pan over a low heat with a little water until they open. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Remove them from their shells and leave to cool. Heat the oil in a deep skillet and fry the mussels in it. Remove the mussels and set them to one side. Return the skillet with the cool oil to the heat and add the wine vinegar, ½ cup/125 ml of water, paprika, salt, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool, then marinate the mussels in the liquid overnight. Serve the mussels in their shells with the marinade poured over.

VIEIRAS A LA GALLEGA – Pilgrim scallops Galician style

16 fresh pilgrim scallops
2 tbsp lemon juice
I onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup/125 ml white wine
2 ½ tbsp orujo, alternatively grappa
Oil for the shells
4 tbsp breadcrumbs

Open the scallops with a knife. Clean them well and remove any inedible parts. Separate the corals (orange-coloured toe) from the white scallop meat and drizzle the scallops with lemon juice. Sweat the onion and garlic in 3 tbsp olive oil until transparent. Finely chop the corals and mix them with the parsley. Season with paprika, cinnamon, and salt and pepper. Pour over the white wine and orujo and bring to a boil. Clean 8 scallop shells and brush them with oil. Place 2 scallops in each shell and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and drizzle over the remaining oil. Place the scallops in a preheated oven at 355 °F/ 180 °C for about 12 minutes until golden brown.

BERBERECHOS A LA MARINERA – Heart clams (cockles) in onion and garlic sauce

2 ¼ lbs/1 kg fresh heart clams (cockles)
Salt
5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup/125 ml dry white wine
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 bay leaf
Pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Clean the heart clams (cockles) thoroughly, discarding any open shells. Bring the clams to a boil in a wide-bottomed pan with 1 cup/250 ml of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until all the shells have opened, shaking the pan several times. Discard any clams that have not opened. Remove the cockles from the cooking liquid using a skimmer, then pour the liquid through cheesecloth and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan and sweat the onion and garlic until transparent. Pour over the white wine and stir in the breadcrumbs. Pour in the cooking liquid with the lemon juice and bay leaf; and season with salt and pepper. Add the clams to the sauce, sprinkle with the parsley, and return to a boil. Transfer to a warmed dish and serve immediately. Mussels, small scallops, and razor shell clams can also be prepared in this way.

RODABALLO CON MARISCOS – Turbot with seafood

2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tomato, skinned and finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pinch of hot paprika
2% lhs/1 kg turbot skinned and boned
8 pilgrim scallops
12 bay scallops
20 peeled shrimp
1/2 cup/125 ml white Alborino wine

Sweat the onions, garlic, and tomato in the olive oil for 10 minutes. Season with salt and paprika. Lay the turbot in an earthenware baking dish. Place the scallops and shrimp on top, spoon on the onion mixture and pour over the wine. Bake For about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 355 “F/ 180 °C.

XOUBAS CON CACHELOS – Sardines with potatoes in their skins

2 ½ lbs/1 kg small sardines
Sea salt
Generous 1 lb/500 g small new potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup/125 ml olive oil
1 1/2 lbs/750 g small green chili peppers

Wash the sardines, pat them dry, and rub with sea salt. Leave them to stand for l hour, then grill until crisp on a charcoal barbecue (or under the broiler). Put the potatoes in their skins in salt water with the bay leaf Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain off the water and return the potatoes to the pan; cover with a damp cloth and leave to continue cooking off the heat.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and fry the chili peppers in it. Remove the peppers from the oil, drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Arrange the sardines, potatoes, and fried peppers on four plates. Remember that the potato skins should be eaten.

CALDEIRADA – Galician fish stew

2 ½ lbs/1 kg potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt
2 ½ lbs/1 fish fillet (hake, monkfish, turbot; sea bass, skate, or another white fish)
Pepper

For the garlic sauce (ajada):

6 tbsp olive oil
8 cloves of garlic
½ tsp stweet paprika
Pinch of hot paprika

Boil the potatoes with the onion and bay leaf for 20 minutes in 6 cups/1.5 litres of salt water. Wash the fish and cut it into bite-size pieces. Place them on the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain off the liquid, reserving 1 cup/250 ml, and discard the bay leaf.

For the ajada, pour the olive oil into a skillet and brown the garlic cloves. Lift them out and remove the skillet from the heat. Then add a ladle of the reserved liquid and the paprika and stir well. Leave the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes; then add to the fish stew and serve immediately.
Fish & Seafood with Bill & Sheila
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