MALLORCA
The queen of the Balearics and good food

Traditional local dishes

On the island of Majorca, you will have the opportunity to try the typical local dishes, thanks to the many tapas restaurants, and much more... Once you get there, you must try the pan con tomate and chipirones.

Without a doubt, you can not miss the paella, the Spanish dish par excellence! Even though the original paella is the Valencian one, linked to the peasant tradition, today there are many other variations of it, which take inspiration from the culture and the characteristic resources of the territory in which they are spread. There are no temporal certainties about the origins of paella, but it is certainly connected to the peasant culture. Those who spent the whole day working in the fields needed a substantial dish, easy to prepare and with the most immediately available resources. And paella, made with rice and topped with meat and vegetables, lent itself perfectly to that purpose. The characteristic yellow color is due to saffron, a rare and expensive spice. This aspect could contradict its humble origins, but in reality this popular dish prepared by poor people also used leftovers from the tables of rich people, such as saffron.

Paella owes its name to the typical iron pan in which it is cooked: round, with low edges and fixed side handles, with a diameter which can vary from about 20 centimeters up to 2 meters, according to the quantity required.

You may be wondering, where can I get the best paella? You won't believe it, but I have tasted the best paella in Mallorca... After a day at sea, what you need is a tasty and abundant dish. I won't hide the fact that I have tasted several of them, of different types and in different places. On that note, I want to list my favorite restaurants in Mallorca where to eat paella.

• Ca’n Manolo Palma Carrer Federico García Lorca, 4, 07014 Palma de Mallorca
• Can Trompe Av. de Bélgica, 12, 07660 Cala D'or
• Casa do Pulpo Ctra. Militar, 219, 07600 Ses Cadenes

Homemade recipe to make your own

Ingredients

• 320 gr of bomba rice (or carnaroli)
• 400 gr of squids
• 1 kg of mussels
• 500 gr of clams (optional)
• 400 gr of shrimps (half prawns and half shrimps)
• 300 gr of scampi
• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 5 tablespoons of tomato puree
• extra virgin olive oil to as needed
• 2 sachets of saffron
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• salt
• 1 serving of shellfish stew

Preparation

• To start, prepare the shellfish stew with shrimp and langoustines first.
• Take care of cleaning the clams and mussels. Pour the entire amount into a large pot, cover with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, the time it takes for the seafood to open.
• Then shell half of the clams and mussels, while leaving the rest with their shells on for decoration. Strain the clam and mussel cooking water and set aside.
• Finely chop the onion, place it in the paella pan with 3 tablespoons of oil and a clove of garlic, peeled and crushed. Sauté for 1 minute and add the squid previously cleaned and cut into rings. Sauté for 1 minute over medium heat and add the tomato sauce. While cooking, pour in half of the filtered water from the clams and mussels and half of the shellfish fumet.
• Then, add the rice and cook over low heat, without ever losing the boil, slowly adding shellfish stew and water from the shellfish.
• Once it comes to a boil, add paprika and saffron, turning from time to time, preventing the rice from sticking to the paellera. When rice is al dente, add shelled mussels and clams, small shrimps and scampi leaving some for decoration.
• Finally, following a medium heat cooking you will get a creamy mixture, adding salt if necessary.

Although easy to prepare, a good paella requires some time and patience... If you are a lover of food and cooking, try your hand at this culinary experience. Once you've served your paella, don't forget the sangria, a typical Spanish alcoholic beverage made of wine, spices and fruit, excellent to accompany not only tapas and paella, but all fish or meat dishes... strictly red, just like tradition commands!

Enjoy your meal!