Fish

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blog

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes —and the revenge of the land

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blogThe recipe I am sharing today, mussels with white beans and tomatoes, combine products from the primary sector, fishing and farming, many of whose purveyors are demonstrating on Europe’s streets and highways as we speak. And I have to say, with good reason.

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blog

Tracxtores en Puerta de Alcalá, Mama Ía blog

Tractors demonstrating at Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid (photo credit Info Bierzo)

Manuel Pimentel, agricultural engineer, farmer, editor, author and former Minister of Labor of Spain, has recently published a book entitled “La venganza del campo”, the revenge of the land, where he explains some (more…)

Cooking seafood a la plancha, Mama Ía blog

Cooking a la plancha —Seafood the Spanish way!

Cooking a la plancha, Mama Ía blogI’ve been wanting to write a post about cooking a la plancha for the longest time. In fact, I started it a couple of years ago, only to shelve it and pull it out again the following year, with new photos of our family gathering for a la plancha cooking in Spain in the summer. Then I put it aside once more, and here we are, the summer of 2023, with new photos but the same gathering —same people, just a little bit older. Because no matter how many years go by, a la plancha cooking is a given and a favorite in our summer gatherings.

Cooking a la plancha, Mama Ía blogA la plancha is a type of cooking that is light, flavorful, intense and generally regarded as healthy. The secret is la plancha, which loosely translates to “the griddle.” Unlike the stainless (more…)

Mandarina stuffed salmon with thyme, Mama Ía blog

Mandarina stuffed Salmon with Thyme, and the countdown to Spring

Mandarina stuffed salmon, Mama Ía blog

It is safe to say that we can start counting down to spring. It’s just over two weeks away! And while the winter hasn’t been one of the coldest ones we remember in this part of the world, I am very much looking forward to the warmer temperatures, to walks outdoors and to the first flowers blooming in our garden.

Mandarinas, Mama Ía blogMiami, Mama Ía blogAt the same time, I am still enjoying orange season —and winter is orange season. The recipe I’m sharing today, mandarina stuffed salmon with thyme, takes (more…)

Whole baked branzino, Mama Ía blog

Whole baked branzino, and coastal Alicante: Altea and Calpe

Whole baked branzino, Mama Ía blogIt has been a few weeks now, but we are still enjoying (and trying to finish) some of the sweets from the holidays. Is that your case? I’ve tried to balance  this sugar loaded end of meals with very healthy mains and sides, following the Mediterranean way of cooking I most enjoy, and whole baked branzino is one of those healthy, make-in-a-snap, delicious meals.

Whole baked branzino, Mama Ía blog

La Muralla Roja, Mama Ía blog

Ethan at La Muralla Roja (Calpe)

There’s quite a paradox in this part of the world where I live. On the one hand, lake living is a way of life. Many midwesterners and Hoosiers (the people of Indiana) own lake houses as second homes. Water sports and (more…)

Cod with asparagus, Mama Ía blog

Cod with asparagus and preserved lemons—and Valencia’s Maritime Holy Week

Cod with asparagus, Mama Ía blogThe recipe I’m sharing today, cod with asparagus and preserved lemons, is very appropriate for this time of year. Cod is a kind of fish long associated with Lent in Spain. Lent is now over, and you may not know that even though Easter Sunday has passed as well, we are still in the Easter season, which will last until the feast of the Pentecost, the Sunday about fifty days later.

Santa María del Mar, Mama Ía blog

Iglesia de Santa María del Mar, St Mary of the Sea Church, Valencia

Cod with asparagus, Mama Ía blog

Cod with asparagus, Mama Ía blogWhat you may know is that we are also in the season of asparagus, one of the first spring time vegetables, so cod with asparagus should be on the menu.

By now you also know that cod is (more…)

Salmon cakes, Mama Ía blog

Salmon cakes —and the January mood

Salmon cakes, Mama Ía blogAfter the rich and sometimes heavy meals, and indulging in sweets and baked goods, January calls for moderation and healthy meals, right? At least that’s in almost everybody’s minds, and salmon cakes are a perfect option.

I love the month of January. I may have said this before — actually, I know I have. But while I still love most aspects of it, I have to tweak my affirmation. 

Home, Mama Ía blogBrothers, Mama Ía blog

When my sons were younger, the month of January meant the back to normal, both literally and figuratively —or in other words, both in the house as in my mind.  After a couple of months of the craziness associated with (more…)

Soupy rice with langoustines, Mama Ía blog

Creamy Rice with Langoustines —and beach days in Spain, two years later

Soupy rice with langoustines, Mama Ía blogI am missing fish, and I am missing shellfish. My brother-in-law Jaime makes the richest, most flavorful arroz con bogavante, soupy rice with lobster, and while I’m not able to replicate it here in Indiana, this creamy rice with langoustines is the best close second. So whenever I find whole shrimp at the store —that is, shrimp with the heads on, or even langoustines if I’m really lucky— I’ll make it.  

Langoustines, Mama Ía blog

Alcocebre, Mama Ía blogThis is what happened recently —I found langoustines!—, and I couldn’t wait to share with you my recipe for creamy rice with langoustines, a dish that (more…)

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blog

Salmon steaks with majado – and building a vegetable garden (Part 4)

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blogI don’t know if it’s happening to you, but for me, time is flying. Can you believe Lent starts this week? I had another recipe planned for this post, but I’ll postpone it, because I know you will be looking for fish recipes that are tasty and easy to make. These salmon steaks with majado are it: tasty, healthy, delicious looking and easy to make. 

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blogVegetable garden, Mama Ía blog

I like to look for steaks rather than fillets, and basically any accompaniment will work: depending on the season, you can use green beans, asparagus, or (more…)

Cod with roasted red peppers, Mama Ía blog

Cod with Roasted Red Peppers —and a Fall weekend in Miami

Cod with roasted red peppers, Mama Ía blogCod with roasted red peppers seemed like an appropriate recipe to share on today’s post: Miami makes me think of fish, if for no other reason that it’s a coastal city and delicious fresh fish is widely available.

Design District, Mama Ía blog

Cod, as you know, is one of my favorite varieties, and the ways to (more…)

Cod in smooth pisto sauce, Mama Ía blog

Cod in Smooth Pisto Sauce —a confined kitchen at Lent

Cod in smooth pisto sauce, Mama Ía blogIt’s a weird sensation these days, isn’t it? We wake up every morning wondering what the new limitation will be for the day ahead —whether we’ll be able to go out freely for a walk in the neighborhood, whether we’ll be able to fly next week to see a loved one. COVID-19 has turned us upside down as in the most dystopian of stories.

Memphis, Mama Ía blogMemphis, Mama Ía blogRoutine tasks we used to do without giving them a second thought now become a highlight of the day – leave the house for a moment to pick up the mail; take the garbage to the curb. A trip to the grocery store (more…)