A name for scallops in Galicia. Pilgrim or great scallops. These are shellfish with white meats and pink corals, often cooked in their shells with the corals and have sweet, succulent meat if properly cooked. According to legend, the body of St James (St-Jacques) travelled with a boat with neither oars nor sails around the Iberian coast, coming to rest in Compostela. Many miracles were associated with this journey, including one where the horse of a pagan nobleman leaped into the sea. They emerged carrying the body of St James covered in scallop shells. This resulted in the nobleman converting to Christianity. Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela have traditionally worn scallop shell badges in commemoration of St James, or used scallop shells as begging bowls. The whole pilgrim route is decorated with his emblem. In some parts of Europe they are eaten on the feast day of St James on 25 July to commemorate the arrival of pilgrims or peregrinos at Santiago de Compostela, often with tomatoes and garlic. They are more often simply and lightly fried.
Queen scallop or quin. These are smaller and sweeter than pilgrim or great scallops and fished in deeper waters. They are more difficult to come by but, like the pilgrims, have white meats and red corals.
Saury. Skipper. Needlefish. A striking, beaked, marine fish up to 45 cm (1ft 6) long, known as skippers, as they leap from the sea to avoid fishing nets.
A Galician name for cuttlefish. A cephalopod related to the squid. The flesh of the cuttlefish is meatier and has a more complex flavour. Both the cuttlefish and the squid have an ink sac. The liquid it contains can be used in the cooking process but it should be added towards the end or it will coagulate. The ink of the cuttlefish is generally felt to be richer, denser, smoother than that of the squid.
Monkfish (US: angler fish). A fish with a sweet flavour and succulent firm flesh but with the ugliest appearance imaginable. It is found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, in coastal waters of north western Europe. It can be recognised by its large head and fan-shaped fins. The fins and the operculum are spiny. It can be eaten fried or in soup. The larger fish often have better flavour. It has a hideous head, which is why it is usually displayed without it, and a muddy colour. It is known as the anglerfish as it bears on its head a 'rod' and 'lure' which attract its prey. The meat of the tail is sweet and succulent - almost like lobster meat, entirely compensating for is appearance. The flavour may well be assisted by its own diet which is high in shellfish. The best monkfish are Lophius piscatorius and the similar Lophius budegassa, the favourite of the Spanish. American monkfish or goosefish (Lophius americanus) is considered inferior, while New Zealand monkfish (Kathetostoma giganteum) is related to the stargazer and is only fit for soup.
A name in Galicia for the scad, jack or horse mackerel. The tough part near the tail must be removed before cooking. Fish which have a firm tail section and bright eyes are the ones to select. They are at their best from spring to autumn (US: fall). In Japan they are used for sashimi or sushi and may also be grilled, simmered or deep-fried.
Hedgehog fungus. Cream-coloured mushrooms, excellent to eat, easily found in woods from late summer to late autumn (US: fall). They have a sort of downy white stem leading up to a cap which is centrally depressed and under which are masses of little spines, giving the mushroom its English name. It is quite a good mushroom to collect as it is easily distinguished from other mushrooms, is a relative of the chanterelle, and, like it, has good flavour and good retention of texture on long cooking.
