We all know that eating fish and including it in our diet is extremely good for our health. For those that want to lose weight, eating fish instead of red meat is a great way of ensuring that we still get enough protein, but without the saturated animal fat and extra calories included.

Many of us, however, would like to eat more fish, but we don’t know how to cook it, and so end up not bothering. And that’s a shame, as for those of you who live in Spain, there are so many different and delicious varieties of fish to choose from. It’s a bit like the French with their cheese – one for every day of the year! But don’t worry, because if you’re stuck, read this second part to our guide to the most popular fish eaten in Spain, where we will provide you with some of the best recipes for the most popular fish dishes eaten in this country.

If you’re not that keen on cleaning and gutting the fish yourself, your fishmonger will happily do that for you. Because fish is in such abundance here in Spain, and as the quality is so good, fish is often eaten whole. If, however, you prefer to start off with a recipe that requires fillets of fish instead, your fishmonger will also prepare the fillets for you too.

Why not try one of our traditional fish recipes below and let us know how it turned out?

Lenguado a la Gaditana (Cádiz-style fried sole)

Ingredients

Sole fillets (skinned)
Milk
Flour
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges

Method

1. Season the sole fillets with salt and pepper and soak in milk for 30 minutes.
2. Coat in the flour and shake of the excess.
3. Fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.
4. Serve with lemon wedges.

Salmonetes a la plancha con aliño (Grilled red mullet with dressing)

Ingredients

Red mullet (scaled and gutted)
50ml of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tbsp of chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Brush the red mullet with oil and season.
2. Cook under a hot grill or BBQ.
3. Mix the chopped garlic with the parsley.
4. Add the oil and lemon juice and mix together.
5. Drizzle the dressing over the cooked fish and serve.

Atún con tomate (Fresh tuna with tomato)

Ingredients

Tuna steaks

1 lemon
¾ kg of tinned tomatoes, or peeled and chopped fresh ones
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 tsp of sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Marinate the tuna steaks in salt and lemon juice for 20 minutes.
2. Coat in flour, then fry in the oil until brown on both sides.
3. Transfer to a casserole dish.
4. In the same frying pan heat the chopped tomatoes.
5. Add the bay leaf, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook on a high heat for 5 minutes.
6. Pour over the tuna in the casserole dish.
7. Sprinkle the chopped garlic on top.
8. Bake in a medium hot oven for 25 minutes.
9. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

Sardinas Rellenas (Stuffed sardines)

Ingredients

½ kg of fresh sardines (gut, remove spine, scale and cut head off)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of fine breadcrumbs
1 tbsp of chopped raisins
1 tbsp of pine nuts
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
2 fillets of anchovy (from a tin)
Salt and pepper
Oil

Method

1. In a small pan, heat the oil and toast the breadcrumbs.
2. Remove from the heat and add the raisins, pine nuts, parsley and chopped anchovy fillets.
3. Mix and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stuff the opened sardines with the mixture and close them back up and fasten with a toothpick.
5. Place in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Bake in a medium hot oven for about 20 minutes.

Boquerones rebozados (Fried whitebait/anchovies in batter)

Ingredients

1/3 kg of fresh anchovies
130 g of flour
100 ml of water
1 beaten egg
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
1/8 tsp of saffron
1 tsp of salt
Oil
Lemon wedges

Method

1. Clean the fish and cut their heads off.
2. Fillet the anchovies, wash and pat dry.
3. Beat together the flour, water, egg, garlic, parsley, saffron and salt.
4. Let this batter sit for an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
6. Dip the fish in the batter and fry in the hot oil until crisp and golden.
7. Drain the oil and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Pez espada a la malagueña (Swordfish Málaga style)

Ingredients

1 kg of swordfish streaks
100 ml of white wine
50 ml of oil
1 chopped onion
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
5 peppercorns
1 tsp of salt
Parsley

Method

1. Place the chopped onion, garlic, green pepper and tomatoes in the bottom of a large casserole dish.
2. Add the bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns.
3. Place the fish on top.
4. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Add the oil.
6. Heat on the stove until it starts to sizzle.
7. Pour the wine over the top and bring to the boil.
8. Cover and simmer until done, or place in a medium hot oven for 25 minutes.
9. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Merluza a la vasca (Basque-style hake)

Ingredients

1 kg of thick hake steaks
Flour
100 ml of white wine
50 ml of olive oil
Water or stock
75 g of cooked peas
24 cooked asparagus tips
3 hard-boiled eggs
6 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Salt the steaks and leave them to sit for 20 minutes.
2. Cover in flour.
3. Heat the oil in a casserole dish and brown the fish on both sides.
4. Add the wine and chopped garlic.
5. Add the water or stock and carefully stir or move until a cream-like sauce forms.
6. Add the cooked peas.
7. Garnish with the asparagus and quartered boiled eggs.
8. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.

Besugo a la madrileña (Madrid-style red bream)

Ingredients

1 whole red bream
8 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp of chopped parsley
3 tbsp of breadcrumbs
50 ml of olive oil
¼ l of white wine
Salt

Method

1. Clean the fish and remove the scales.
2. Rub the inside with salt and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
3. Mix the chopped garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs.
4. Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish.
5. Place the fish inside.
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top.
7. Add the wine.
8. Transfer to the oven once the contents begin to simmer
9. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Lubina a la asturiana (Asturian-style sea bass)

Ingredients

1 kg of sea bass fillets
2 tbsp of oil
1 small onion
100 ml cider or white wine
2 dozen clams
1 tsp of paprika
Fried bread
Parsley
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Season the fish and place into a casserole dish.
2. Pour the olive oil over the top.
3. Sprinkle the chopped onion over and the paprika.
4. Add the wine or cider and bake for 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, steam the clams and remove from their shells.
6. Keep some of the clam liquid.
7. Remove the fish and transfer to a serving dish.
8. Pour the juice from the casserole dish over the top and add the clams and clam juice.
9. Serve with fried bread and parsley garnish.

Tumbet de pescado mallorquín (Mallorcan fish and aubergine casserole)

Ingredients

¾ kg of fish fillets
1 lemon
100 ml of olive oil
50 ml of white wine
½ kg of sliced potatoes
2 aubergines
Flour
2 large red peppers
1 chopped onion
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 chopped garlic clove
1 bay leaf
½ tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of sugar
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the fish in an ovenproof dish and drizzle the lemon juice over the top.
2. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil on top and all the white wine.
3. Bake the fish for 10 minutes in the oven and then remove.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry the potatoes until they are almost done.
5. Peel and slice the aubergines.
6. Dredge in flour and fry in oil.
7. Roast the peppers, then peel them and cut into strips.
8. Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
9. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, cinnamon, sugar, liquid from the pan in which the fish was cooked and salt and pepper.
10. Cook the sauce for 15 minutes. Pass it through a sieve or process in a blender.
11. Place a layer of potatoes in the bottom of an earthenware dish.
12. Top this with a layer of fish, then a layer of aubergine and peppers.
13. Repeat these layers.
14. Cover with the sauce.
15. Bake in a medium oven for 15minutes.

Truchas a la Navarra (Trout Navarra style)

Ingredients

350 g trout
Serrano ham
Salt
Flour
Oil
Lemon

Method

1. Cut the fish along its belly and remove the backbone, but keep the head and tail intact.
2. Wash and pat dry.
3. Place a thin slice of Serrano jam inside the belly.
4. Sprinkle the fish with salt and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
5. Dredge the fish in flour.
6. Fry gently in the oil until brown on both sides.
7. Serve with lemon wedges.