Fish
Every afternoon the fishing boats return home surrounded by seagulls searching for food. This picture is repeated every day in La Vila Joiosa, but it is still exceptional and quite spectacular. This ritual, the return home after a hard day's work at sea, precedes the fish auction, the "Peix de La Vila", which has been held for decades every afternoon at the fish market at the port. Besides curious onlookers and tourists, this auction brings together wholesalers and restaurateurs in search of the best fish and seafood from the Mediterranean. It is a spectacular show of colour, freshness and flavour.
These fresh fish entering the port every evening are the main ingredient of the traditional seafood cuisine. This cuisine of "the sea" includes the majority of the local gastronomic tradtion, not just because fishing is one of the most important traditional economic activities in La Vila, but also because its recipe book is based on the traditional "ranchos", the dishes the fishermen used to cook "on board": stews, rice dishes, "calderos", fideuà ....
You shouldn’t miss typical seafood dishes when you visit La Vila Joiosa. It is hard to talk about all of them because there is a long list, however, just for a starter: "calamarets en ceba" (squid with onions), sauteed langoustines with garlic, fried baby squid, "llampuga" with peppers, tuna with tomato or marinade tuna, fritura vilera (local fried fish ), a creamy rice with anchovies and spinach, or a dry one with monkfish and vegetables, "suquet de peix", caldero vilero, arroz a banda... These are just a few suggestions, but there are many options, from both traditional and modern cuisine, to enjoy these Mediterranean flavours on your table.
To taste the "Peix de La Vila" is to take a bite of sea.
