October 4, 2026

Easy Fideuá —Seafood Paella’s cousin made simple

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta healthy food, mediterranean diet, one pan dish, paella, seafood, Spanish cuisine, Valencian cuisine 2 Comments

It has been over 11 years since I posted the recipe for fideuá. Coincidentally, I think it was also my very first blog post on Mama Ía! Time has flown ever since, and I cannot believe there are over 200 recipes now on the blog.

This is the life!

Onteniente prepares for Saturday night dinners al fresco

Riding around Torreblanca

I make paella and fideuá very often, and you can find some of those recipes in this blog. However, I’ve been told a few times that people (more…)

August 23, 2024

Baked sea bream, besugo al horno —and a girls trip to Greece

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Events & Travel Acropolis, Aegina, Athens, fish, girls trip, Greek Islands, Hydra, mediterranean diet, Poros

I promised in my last post that I would tell you more about trips I did in the spring, so even though it is summer, I will honor my promise. Because how could I not tell you about my first ever trip to Greece?

I thought it very appropriate to accompany this post with the recipe for besugo al horno, baked sea bream, a Spanish dish that is so Mediterranean that it is more than fitting for a post about a neighboring Mediterranean country.

The charming Panaghia Kapnikarea Church in central Athens

I am lucky enough to be able to now find whole fish at my local Costco store, so I hope you can find it in your area as well and make this healthy, delicious and (more…)

May 26, 2023

Arroz del senyoret, gentleman’s rice —and my family’s link to Calpe and the dish

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta Calpe, mediterranean diet, paella, Parador de Ifach, Peñón de Ifach, restaurante Baydal, rice dish

The word “senyoret” means gentleman in the Valencian language. Arroz del senyoret (where the consonants ny combined are pronounced as a Spanish ñ in the Valencian language) is a seafood paella where all the seafood shells have been peeled off and therefore the person eating it will not have to bother removing the shells from the shrimp or the mussels —hence “del senyoret”, for the gentleman.

El Parador de Ifach, hoy: una torre de apartamentos y una zona común de recreo a imagen del antiguo parador

The story of this dish is peculiar and very familiar to me and my family, as it started out at the restaurant where we enjoyed many meals during my childhood. I’m talking (more…)

Mandarina stuffed salmon with thyme, Mama Ía blog

March 8, 2023

Mandarina stuffed Salmon with Thyme, and the countdown to Spring

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish citrus, Holy Week, Lent, mediterranean diet, Miami, pescado, Spring

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.

At 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…)

January 17, 2023

Whole baked branzino, and coastal Alicante: Altea and Calpe

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Events & Travel Alicante, Altea, Calpe, fish, mediterranean diet, Muralla Roja, pescado, Ricardo Bofill, seafood, Spanish cuisine

It 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.

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…)

May 2, 2022

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

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Events & Travel Lent and Holy Week, mediterranean diet, seafood, Semana Santa, Semana Santa Marinera, Spanish traditions, Valencia

The 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.

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

What 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…)

January 25, 2022

Salmon cakes —and the January mood

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish brothers, croquetas, fish, mediterranean diet, pescado, tortitas de salmón

After 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.

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…)

Cod with roasted red peppers, Mama Ía blog

October 30, 2020

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

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Events & Travel cod, fish, main dish, mediterranean diet, Miami, red peppers, Spanish cuisine

Cod 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.

The very sunny Fendi store

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

July 15, 2020

Chicken with Cumin and Pimentón Dressing —and planning a vegetable garden (PART 1)

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Meat and Poultry dinner, garden beds, main dish, mediterranean diet, one pan dish, pollo, spices, summer dish, vegetable garden

The recipe I’m sharing today, chicken with cumin and pimentón dressing and tomato arugula salad holds flavors that remind me of summers in Spain —grilled meats, pimentón and fresh vegetables in one single dish. The grilled chicken has the right amount of heat to please every palate at the table, and the tomato arugula salad, with a dressing that incorporates the flavors of the marinade, blend beautifully in this very summery dish.

This is the summer of what could have been and will not be. Of plans that came undone and yet thankfulness for our health. Of “what if‘s” that have affected us all.

As I write this, I should have been in Spain for three weeks now, expecting the rest of my family to arrive today. We would have been heading to the beach on Sunday for a week of family time and fun, relaxation and tapas bars hopping, beach games (more…)

April 11, 2019

Barley and Kale Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries, the World’s Healthiest Country, and the Mediterranean Diet

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Rice, Grains and Pasta Alcocebre, dieta mediterránea, ensalada, mediterranean diet, olivos, vegetarian, world's healthiest country

The article started with this paragraph:

“Spain has many attractions —delicious cuisine, a balmy climate, sublime music and a fascinating history. And now it can add another accolade: it has just been named the healthiest country in the world.”

I thought it appropriate to share the recipe for this powerful salad, barley and kale salad with pine nuts and cherries, to accompany this news —I will explain why later.

(more…)