If you’re drinking wine, be careful not to overwhelm the calamari’s flavour with a tannic red or rich white wine. Stick to a young rosé or an unoaked, crisp white!
Calamari is the culinary name for squid, and it sounds a sight more appetising. That may simply be a learned association though: fried calamari is delicious, and has earned its huge popularity as a tapas dish across Spain. However, the best calamari uses the freshest squid, so Barcelona, sitting as it does on the coast of the rich waters of the mediterranean, is among the best places to try it.
Calamari consists of batter-coated, deep fried squid. In Spain it’s cut into wide hoops and fried for no longer that two minutes, so it retains its buttery softness. Then it is served plain, with a little salt and fresh lemon on the side. It’s simple precisely because it doesn’t need anything else.
Yet just because it’s simple does not mean it’s easy to get right. As ever, the best advice is to follow the locals. Los Toreros Restaurant, tucked away in a narrow street just off La Rambla, does excellent and affordable calamari. Better still is La Cova Fumada, an authentic bar with unbelievable tapas. If you haven’t had enough tentacles already, be sure to try their outstanding grilled octopus.
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