Other delicacies
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OTHER DELICACIES
Rice and it’s not paella
Besides fabada, Oviedo’s cuisine includes other typical dishes that are also common to other parts of Spain, although with variations. If a foreigner wants to eat rice here, he or she should not expect an authentic paella. However, rice is served in many very succulent dishes. One is rice (dark and smooth) with “pitu de caleya”, which means free range chicken; another is “rice Asturian style”, which can be prepared in various manners but includes a mixture of beef, pork ribs, sausages and/or chorizo… and some vegetables (peas, peppers…).
However, if you want to eat rice at any cost, don't miss one of our most typical desserts: rice pudding. Creamy, with a layer of burned sugar on the surface.
A rather common first course is also menestra (vegetable stew), although it is advisable to order this in spring when the ingredients are in season.
From the Sea and the Rivers
Oviedo is not on the coast nor on the banks of a major river, but they are so nearby that fish and seafood are key products on our menus.
Among the most widely consumed fish from the sea, we can mention hake, especially hake with cider. However, depending on the season, sea bass is also highly appreciated – the sea bass with champagne recipe is typical at banquets – and so are “pixin” (monkfish), sea bream – split lengthwise and cooked skin side down – or tuna, from June to October as well as other species, rather humbler in principle, such as the bocarte (anchovy) (the youngest are called “hombrinos”), sardines, or cicharro (mackerel).
Among the rockfish, we have the cabracho (scorpionfish), with lots of spines and, therefore, it is usually served in the form of a pâté. Octopus and squid (when young known as chipirón) are also highly appreciated.
From our rivers, together with trout, the typical catch is salmon, fished from spring onwards when they return and swim up the rivers, such as the Sella, Cares, Narcea… The first one caught is called the “campanu”. It is then sold at auction for a large sum of money.
Regarding seafood, we have lobster, which is usually consumed in summer, spider crabs (the season starts in October) and velvet crabs that are also consumed as tapas with a bottle of cider.
Sea urchins or the flavour of the sea
From the end of December to mid-April – based on the season but always during the coldest months – visitors to Oviedo will see “hay oricios” (sea urchins for sale) signs in bars and cider houses. The flavour of sea urchins was praised by the Romans but, in some regions, they were used for years as fertilizer for crops. Their intense sea flavour makes them a delicatessen that some people even eat raw, although this does imply certain health risks. Their consumption - in restaurants with elaborate recipes – has led to fishing restrictions to prevent their disappearance. Tinned sea urchin roe, used in salads or omelettes, or sea urchin pâté are excellent options to take home with you.
