Glimpse of our holiday in Torrevieja and prawns in garlic, olive oil and lemon marinade

It’s certainly become a tradition for us.

 Every spring, for the past five years we go to Torrevieja.

 

Torrevieja (Old Tower), pronounced as [toreˈβjexa], is a coastal city located in the south-eastern Spain. Situated in the Costa Blanca and is just 47 km from the second-largest Valencian city -  Alicante. With two airports nearby, one in Murcia and other in Alicante, Torrevieja is easy to access. 

Located between the sea and two large salt lakes (Las Salinas), Torrevieja was originally a salt-mining and fishing village and only in 1931 was given official city status.

Although Torrevieja is relatively small city, there are plenty of thing to do and to see. Whether you like an active holiday or just looking to enjoy a slow paced Spanish life, there is something for everyone.

 

 

Even though Spanish cuisine differs from region to region, they all have one in common – using locally grown, fresh ingredients. Many dishes prepared nowadays are same as they were hundreds years ago and recipes are usually passed from generation to generations. Some dishes were developed with the help of the other cultures, both invaders and visitors.

With all the water that surrounds Spain, there are large choice of fresh seafood and fish at the market. You can find anything from sea bream to shrimp and octopus.

The most typical dish in Torrevieja is ’’Caldero’’, it’s a fish stew which consists of different types of fish and rice and is cooked in cauldron – cast iron pot with a tight-fitting lid. Caldero translates as cauldron, hence the name of the dish.

 

There is weekly market with abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as freshly baked bread, pastries and other great produce. It takes place every Friday morning at Salinero Calle. 

With the plenty of seasonal and local food choices available, we always cook ourselves. The meals are usually very simple and always consist of some kind of fish or seafood and always a huge salad to accomplish the meal. Garlic, lemon, sea salt and olive oil -  all what we need to season our meals.

Simple, fresh and healthy.

Without any doubt, after long winter and cold spring, warm Spanish sunshine is what we needed.  Long walks along the beach, listening to tranquillity of the waves and just sitting in cafe and sipping cortado or coffee con leche and watching the world go by.

 

 We always come back recharged and ready for the next challenges that awaits us back home.

Here is simple prawn recipe we cooked a lot at Torrevieja. It only needs few ingredients but it tastes flavoursome and complete.

 Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

500g prawns, cleaned

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In bowl combine garlic, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and salt and pepper, mix well until combined.

Place prawns into marinade, make sure all prawns are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, place prawns into the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Discard the marinade used for prawns. 

Leave shrimps to cool off a bit before serving.