Paella is here! tuut tuut!! please excuse my enthusiasm, but I was very looking forward to try this one. As I was telling you last Thursday, for my mom’s birthday we invited her to eat a very famous paella from Ca la Nuri, a fish tapas & rice restaurant in La Barceloneta.
Although it may look like a cliché (paella & barcelona) I enjoy so much paella and all type of fish/seafood rices in general. I guess being raised in a town near the sea and thus having a quick, affordable access to the most delicious fresh fish, makes either you a total fan of almost every single variety or totally sick of it.
Regarding the ingredients there are several types of popular paellas, or what I believe we here plainly call “rice”. All of them though share the same characteristic, the rice must be dry leaving the grains separated. You can find meat, seafood or both of things together varieties, even a really popular one which is called “black rice” colored with squid’s ink. My favorites hands down are the ones with cuttlefish, shrimp or crawfish and/or lobster. Have you ever had paella? Which ones is your favorite type?
We also ordered a few tapas as starters: mussels, spicy potatoes (not bravas!) and monkfish & shrimp croquettes.
The rice from Ca La Nuri had a good strong flavor typical of paella but without being too salty, just the perfect balance. I would have preferred a softer squid, but I think it’s one of those things that depend on the eater preferences, my taste is totally determined by what was grandma’s cooking style (grandmas! always the best cooks!). I you are wondering about prices, a good paella is around 20€ per person which is really reasonable taking into account the seafood and the amount of work & skill it takes to make a nice one. If you come to Barcelona don’t miss this experience and make sure to look for a good place; it can make a world of difference!
I know you must be already tired (or hungry) to read me talking about paella, but I had to mention one last thing: a fun fact! Do you know that it is a widely acknowledge fact that there is a day of the week when you are supposed to eat paella, and every restaurant (specially the most classic ones) offers it in its lunch menu? it is quite funny, but if you ask anyone here what would be the menu on a Thursday, they are going to say: Jueves? Paella!
All in all a beautiful day to remember. Which makes me wonder, why we don’t stop more often in la Barceloneta beach? The sea view definitely brings me lots of smiles! Do you like paella or rice dishes in general? Does the sea view also makes you feel butterflies?
I had no idea about Thursday being Paella day. That’s very interesting. I love me some Paella, it is pretty popular here in Montreal and there are quite a few good quality Spanish restaurants in my neighbourhood now that serve tapas and Paella, although I’m sure they couldn’t compete with Catalan Paella.
So fun to know that paella is popular in Montreal, I would have never guessed! :) I like to read that there are good spanish restaurants there, tapas might seem a simple type of dishes but they are quite tricky if you want them as tasty as they should be ;)
I loooove paella! Anything that is flavorsome + rice + seafood is a
huge plus in my book (and stomach)! If I find prawns and lobster
meat I am a happy person c: I might even go for a second round!
Xx
Hahaha, agree! I am a fish & seafood lover as well :) & paella joins it with rice, which is also one of my obsessions, so couldn’t be more perfect.
Love these photos and your blog in general. Even the comments are formatted cutely, great colors! :)
Thanks Sarah for the nice words!! :)
I love paella too. haven’t had one in ages. rice and seafood is very common over here in SE Asia, obviously, but it’s not the same. sigh… :)
Did you have paella in Barcelona? Asian rice is yummy, it is true that the flavors couldn’t be more different although using similar ingredients :)
I’m glad you enjoyed your time out and your food!
Best,
-Kati
thanks, it was a really nice time, hope I could skip forward to the next weekend already!
You know what I’ve never had Paella but I love rice and I love love seafood. My Dad’s Mum used to call my the prawn (shrimp) queen because I used to eat so many :P I will definitely take your advice and eat Paella in Barcelona one day and maybe even on a Thursday! Oh and the sea definitely makes me happy :) oh and now I’m hungry :P
Definitely a shrimp paella must be in order for the “prawn queen” when you finally visit us ;)
i don’t think i ever had paella but i must change that soon. sounds delicious. oh man i would love to visit barcelona one day. i took spanish in high school (heehee) and my teacher was from catalonia. barcelona is within catalonia? anyway i remember her saying that they have a different accent with words that have “th”? oy.. i actually can’t recall correctly. anyway. i would love to visit all these beautiful places you talk about. :D
Oh thanks Jane!!! yes, Barcelona is in Catalonia, and we speak also another language called Catalan which is a little different from Spanish (in fact Dani and me talk Catalan to each other) and yes, you recall right! it has lots of different sounds like “z” or others :) it is quite amazing the things we remember, isn’t it? Sometimes I just don’t know why or when I learnt something or if it is even accurate or completely correct, but I have the feeling.
mmm paella! but I just wanted to say I really like your iphone carrier! so cute!
Thanks Emily! My iphone carrier was a christmas present, the hubs bought it in a handmade market (Festivalet), from a little stall called de ubieta.
Your posts never fail to make me smile. I love the love shown in these pictures, not just for Paella but also for each other and your mother. I believe I’ve eaten paella with shrimp once before, and it was amazing. I love how there is a specific Paella day, amazing.
♥ ♥ you were the one now making me smile so much!!! thanks for your sweetness.
Great pictures!
Thanks Albertina!
mmm sounds delish and I LOVE the print of your dress!
Thanks! I love the tropical vibe of it. It’s from H&M :)
Sounds and looks delicious to me. And the beach looks especially beautiful, too. :) I can’t look at the ocean without feeling butterflies in my tummy!
Thanks Carly! :) Nice to meet a sea/ocean lover!
It’s funny because when I lived in Spain, I never used to eat/appreciate Spanish food, and now that I don’t live in Spain and am not surrounded by it, I want it more haha…I never used to like paella until I tried my husband’s paella, and now I’m hooked. My favorite kind of paella is one full of seafood…yum!
Kisses from Buenos Aires xx
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