I used to belong to a CSF (community-supported fishery) in the Greater Boston area. They told us not to worry about the occasional worm we might find in white fish such as cod. Harmless and killed by cooking. I took their word for it and am alive today. Not sure if that reassures you for fish “on the other side of the pond”.
Am enjoying reading about your eating adventures!
Swordfish is notorious for worms, really long ones, but I’ll still order it whenever I can.
lol —darned that auto-correct. I think you meant papas arrugadas. One of my favorite things to eat in the Canaries. And surprisingly easy to replicate both there and at home.
+1 on what @GretchenS said.
The fish on your plate might have been freshly fished locally and not “candeled” to find and remove that little hitchhiker. If the worm was still alive that would have been a worry, because the fish wouldn’t have been cooked to a high enough temperature.
Gracias to all of you! I’m happy I did not mention the tiny “hitchhiker” in my fish to anyone else at EL RISCO.
Close to Famara, and El Risco, is a terrific shop named LA TIENDA DE LOURDES. It is on the main road in the town of Soo.
Here the foods are local, as opposed to those in the supermarkets dotted all over the island. (A big one is HIPER DINO, with a cute green dinosaur mascot). But unlike the produce at HiperDino, which comes largely from Almeria and around, LOURDES sells Lanzarote vegetables, cheeses, wines, breads, and those addictive picos, little wheat-based snacks.
When I stepped inside this small shop I felt as if I was transported to Holguin!
There were lots of workmen picking up sandwiches and honestly, their accent was more Cuban than mainland Spain…oooh, that Canarian accent can be hard to understand, and if you read about the emigration to the islands, you can understand why this is the case…I felt as if I were surrounded by my “landsmen,” even if I had trouble understand every other word out of their mouths!!
Lourdes stocks different types of potatoes, and I planned to return just before leaving the island to collect a big bag of the ones for making papas arrugadas (ha!! NOT papas ARUGULAS!!)
What a great shop and the women who worked there were so helpful in explaining the various cheeses, spirits, chorizos, etc. (RonMiel is THE local drink----sweet and just fantastic!!).
Even the workmen who were buying their lunches chipped in with advice on what I should buy…THIS is the kind of place I love!!! Several disputes broke out as to which cheese and which drink I ought to buy…I was in heaven there!!!
I never did get back to stock up on potatoes but I did bring home a lot of cheese from LOURDES and from another local market that I found, in Puerta del Carmen.
Here are a couple of pics from TIENDA DE LOURDES, near SOO:
CESAR LANZAROTE
Tasting menu only
This aesthetically glorious restaurant is but a few minutes drive from the coast, where we were based in PUERTA DEL CARMEN. But the climatic diversity of the island becomes obvious during the 15 minute taxi ride, from the warm calm coast to the heights where the hotel and restaurant, CESAR LANZAROTE occupy what was the former residence of the father of Cesar Manrique. On the coast we were wearing shorts and sundresses. Here we needed not-so-light jackets. The sweeping view from the pool is glorious but the pool’s surface was just short of breaking into whitecaps!!!
The hotel and restaurant are quintessential Manrique and would be worth visiting even if one did not choose to dine here. (Ask if you can go for a drink, or a quick tour)
CESAR MANRIQUE PROVIDED us with one of our best dinners on the island. JuanJoBedmar, of LA TASQUITA DE ENFRENTE, one of my mainstays in Madrid (I’ve written about my dinners here on previous threads) is a consultant here. He was not on the premises that evening, but no matter: Dinner was wonderful.
Because the hotel has an amply sized pool, I think this would make a good choice for a stay of a few days; the public areas that we saw were almost a museum to Manrique. Staff was beyond lovely, and every aspect of our dinner was as close to ideal as is possible.
Here are a few pics of the premises; note that the access road was blocked when we went, so check before you set out by car or even by taxi; this restaurant has been open for only a few months so taxi drivers may not be familiar with the location. Our driver made three calls to the restaurant before getting his bearings! We were glad that we had left our rental car in the parking garage at Lani’s instead of attempting the drive in the dark; there are few lit roads on Lanzarote.
Some photos:
Entrance, where we were warmly welcomed by name by a staff member; note the glorious Canarian green paint color, ubiquitous inland, and the lava blocks used for flooring:
Dining room still life, with Canarian produce:
Dining chair, hand crafted in Canarias.
Lounging area near pool; green doors lead to dining room.
Quintessential melding of lava blocks, palms and lime-washed white walls, punctuated by Canarian green-hued wood surfaces.
Lava pebbled entrance driveway sloping down to south shore of island, in distance; Puerta del Carmen would be to the far left in this photo:
Pool area embodies Manrique’s classic style; winds might cause guests to forego swimming, although the views are sublime from here.
Another view of pool area…taking a drink out here and retiring to one’s room must be pure bliss! Next time!!
Comments, in Spanish, about the restaurant I discussed, above:
GREAT website for restaurants in spain, but in Spanish only:
I use 7 Caníbales for much of my restaurant planning.
Maribel, a million thanks!! I’d not heard of it before reading a post where you linked that site!
Superb!!!
I really trust the professional writers there----Igor Cubillo, especially for the Basque Country, and Benjamín Lana and Alberto Luchini for all the rest. I read it DAILY to keep up to date with the Spain culinary scene.
Never did add photos of the major attractions of Lanzarote, so here are a few pics of Timanfaya National Park…major volcanic eruptions caused great damage on the island but also added lava to the soil which aided in the growing of many fruits an vegetables, including wine grapes:
You need to drive to the visitors center and then take an excellent bus tour through the park; there is also the option. of a camel ride, which we passed on:
More essential than Timanfaya are the Cesar Manrique sights–homes, sculptures, gardens…these alone are well worth the trip to Lanzarote. Read up on this artist and his influence on keeping Lanzarote aesthetically pure in comparison to other islands in the archipelago. I am not sure that one man has ever influenced such a large space as Lanzarote, to such amazing effect. Please do read about this extraordinary artist, sculptor, jardinero, and so much more. This man is the reason that Lanzarote has but one high-rise building, and the reason for the impeccable colors of the island’s structures. I could write a dissertation and I am sure there have been many…since this site is food-centric, all I can suggest is to read up on this incredible person who has left his mark on Lanzarote…
Learning to make typical Canarian salsa, the red version, mojo rojo,(the spicier one but not really hot) in the kitchen of our hotel in Puerta del Carmen. The lovely chef is Ainhoa from the Basque town of the same name:
Red peppers, salt, garlic, cumin, vinegar of Jerez, and pimenton from Extremadura.
Very easy to make at home although she just used her hands for measuring…I had so much fun in her kitchen!!! Like so many, she landed in Canarias from another part of Spain. I believe that the indigenous guanche people were totally wiped out centuries ago…but not certain.
You may have heard of the “throat singers” of Mongolia, but do you know about the “whistling language” of La Gomera in Canarias?
Could not resist: Cesar Manrique’s Jardin de Cactus–signs for rest rooms:
