Apologies for today’s misleading title. The fish shown here is, of course, not the Gefilte Fish. I do not know if there was a lot of Gefilte Fish in Spain 600 years ago, before the Sephardi Jews of Spain were persecuted, shunned, killed or forcibly converted. I imagine there must have been, but not since and not now.

Instead, Spain is rather big in salted fish. The best known Spanish salted fish is the Bacalao (Gadus morhua), which is an Atlantic speciality, and mainly at home in northern Spain, in Galicia and the Basque Country, but eaten all over Spain. But there is also the Arenque (Clupeidae harengus) or the Sardina Arenque, a Herring species, similar to the Flatiron Herring. Of course, the herring family also includes sprats, shads, and pilchards. The salted Arenque is also an Atlantic fish, and is at home in southern Spain, in Andalucía, but again, is eaten up and down the Iberian Peninsula. You will see Arenques in flat fish barrels on display in traditional Colmadas (food and grocery shops) or in the weekly markets. The Arenque is salted and dried, and is cooked in a number of traditional Spanish stews or eaten with bread and olive oil (Pa amb Oli).

¡Bon profít!

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 18, 2007. The time was 12:52:22.