Now, as promised…here are some holiday musings that will whisk your thoughts away – today to the lovely Galician town of O’ Grove. Located on a peninsula and surrounded by the seafood rich waters of the Atlantic, this fishing port is one of the most important in this stunning Mediterranean paradise. The stunning beaches and hidden coves of A Lanzada, Raeiros and Area da Cruz, offer one of Spain’s most serene natural spas where seaweed treatments and hot springs are part of the daily pleasures sought from weary travellers that travel from all over Europe.
Just a boat ride away is the enchanting island of Toxa, with a fairly tale Chapel built in the 12th century, dedicated to St Caralampio and the Virgin Carmen. It’s even more fascinating as it is completely covered with scallop shells – as if claiming the beautiful surrounding azure seas as its own.
Come the first week October, this peaceful and usually quiet town that typically attracts a seemingly quieter crowd, turns into a hot magnet for seafood lovers across Europe as they launch the Fiesta de Exaltacion del Marisco – or Seafood Festival. Europe’s elite fishmongers and ‘seafood connaiseurs’ arrive in preparation for a two week sensational taste experience, celebrating in abundance some of the finest fish, lobsters, clams and shellfish the Mediterranean has to offer…Some of the best seafood auctions are held at this festival with many returning with bounties to impress their guests with in Michelin Star restaurants.
Places like this are always preserved deeply in history and it is an area of great archaeological finds dating back to as early as the 17th Century. There are also some fascinating food history tours for those interested in 18th Century harvesting and preserving such as fish salting with very rare exhibits still left from that era to explain the process. Remarkably, they have managed to preserve a quaint old tide operated cereal mill. Pay a visit to a fascinating, 15th Century church, before you head off to explore some of the best wineries in Galicia…
Of course, areas like this in the Mediterranean are simply unbeatable when it comes to great food and with all their produce sourced from the nearby fertile Salnes Valley, the marketplace supplies all the restaurants with bountiful harvests on a daily basis…now that’s a great sign for exceptional restaurant food.
So why not set wind to the sails and explore this region, exploring hidden Chapels, sipping on the finest wines and sampling some of the most celebrated seafood in the world…. Or in the spirit of this festival, why not try this wonderful recipe from Taste Safari, these absolutely tantalising garlicky buttery, paprika infused King Prawns.
Photo credits:
All images courtesy of www.turismogrove.es
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