Meals on El Transcantabrico
Lunches and dinners
were
taken at local restaurants. This gave us the opportunity to
sample the local specialities and delicacies together with some
excellent local wines. The meals were as excellent as they were
varied with a strong emphasis upon local produce, particularly fish
and shellfish. Many of the meals were spectacular and gave us an
opportunity to participate in local customs.
Perhaps the most memorable meal was dinner at El Restaurante Louzao at Viveiro where "Seafood in Season" turned out to be a plate of large crabs with roe in a thick sauce, followed by small crabs, followed by gambas a la plancha, followed by large langostinos. The main course was an excellent steamed hake served with potatoes and leeks in a saffron sauce. Dessert was an almond tart followed by queimada which is aguadiente, sugar and apple, flamed and served hot. The meal was prepared with extremely fresh ingredients and simply prepared. There was a choice of Galician white wine (Ribadeo) or Rioja red followed by a choice of liqueurs (aguadiente, coffee cream or licor de hierbas). |
Meals
were taken at tables generally
seating 6-10 people.
 |
 We were invited into the Restaurante los Templarios in Villalcazar de Sirga to sample a pilgrim's meal. |
 |
 |
 The Albada soup looks interesting |
 House style black pudding and pickled pork loin. |
 Cheese and hard pork sausage. |
 Baby lamb roasted in a wood oven. |
Preparing Queimada
This
shows just the highlights
| Santiago de
Compostela - Parador |
 scallop in a shell |
| Viviero - Restaurante Louzao |
wonderful shellfish and
exceptional hake |
| Ribadeo -
Parador |
Caldo Gallego (Classical Galician
Soup) |
| Luarca - Restaurante Villa Blanca |
asparagus stuffed with sea urchin
caviar |
| Oviedo -
Restaurante El Raitan |
fabada (Asturian stew of beans and
pork blood sausage, sausage and bacon) |
| Gijon -
Restaurante Bellavista |
octopus salad |
| Niembro
(Llanes) Restaurante San Pelayo |
spider crab and fresh cockle
lasagna in prawn sauce. |
| Santillana
del Mar - Parador |
bison croquettes/bison stew |
| Santander -
Restaurante La Mulata |
brown crab in its shell/ grilled
turbot |
| Bilbao -
Restaurante Zuria |
fishermans plate/steak |
| Mercadillo -
Restaurante La Peņa |
leek terrine/cod fillet -
wonderful use of strongly flavoured olive oil |
| Villalcazar
de Sirga - Restaurante Los Templarios |
Albada soup (Castillian
soup)/roast lamb |
| Cisternia - Restaurante La Arquilla |
sirloin |
