Cooking and Preparation Terms
Espeto refers to the skewered, fire-grilled fish tradition described elsewhere in this guide, and by extension to the beachside stalls that serve it. A la plancha means cooked on a flat hot griddle, usually with little more than olive oil and salt. Pescaíto frito describes lightly floured, quickly fried small fish or squid, an Andalusian speciality rather than a generic term for any fried seafood. Al ajillo means cooked with garlic, typically in olive oil, and is common with prawns and small fish alike.
Fumet is a light fish stock, usually made from bones and trimmings, that forms the base of many rice and stew dishes on this coast, most notably paella and arroz caldoso, a looser, soupier rice dish than paella.
Market and Species Terms
Marisco is the general Spanish term for shellfish, covering both crustaceans and bivalves, while pescado refers specifically to fish. Gambas and langostinos both mean prawns, with langostinos generally referring to the larger variety. Chipirones are small squid, typically served whole, distinct from calamares, which usually refers to squid cut into rings.
Percebes, goose barnacles, are a delicacy along parts of the Spanish coast, harvested by hand from wave-battered rocks, which explains their comparatively high price relative to their size.
Terms About Quality and Origin
Salvaje or de lonja generally signals wild-caught fish sold through a traditional fish auction, as opposed to de piscifactoría, farmed fish. Neither term alone guarantees quality, but they are useful starting points for a conversation with whoever is selling. Del día, "of the day," indicates a fish caught and sold within the same day, the closest thing to a formal freshness claim commonly seen on a menu, though it is still worth checking against the physical signs covered in this guide's freshness section.
Terms for Serving and Sharing
Ración is a full-sized shared portion, larger than a tapa, and is the most common way seafood is served for the table rather than as an individual plate. Media ración, a half portion, is a useful option when trying several dishes across a meal. Frito variado, a mixed fry, typically brings together several kinds of small fish and squid on one plate, a practical way to sample pescaíto frito without committing to a single species.
Al horno, baked in the oven, and en salsa verde, in a green sauce built on parsley, garlic and white wine, are two further preparations that appear regularly on menus along this coast, each describing a distinct, gentle way of finishing fish once it has already been cleaned and prepared.
A Few More Useful Terms
Zamburiñas, small queen scallops, are a common shellfish tapa, usually grilled quickly in their shell with a little garlic and breadcrumb. Navajas, razor clams, are named for their long, narrow shell and are typically cooked briefly on a plancha with garlic and lemon. Erizos, sea urchins, are eaten for their roe rather than their flesh, scooped directly from the shell and prized for a flavour more intense and mineral than most other shellfish.
Cocedero refers to a shop or counter that boils and sells shellfish ready to eat, a practical option when cooking at home is not convenient. Knowing a handful of these terms makes ordering, and reading a market stall, considerably more straightforward.