Mantis shrimp. Squill. A flat tailed crustacean with a delicate flavour found from the eastern coast of North America to the Adriatic and Mediterranean. It is related to a crab rather than a prawn and bears some resemblance to a praying mantis, a kind of flat lobster which makes a chirp like a cricket and has lilac marks on its white flesh.
Galicia is a mountainous region with a substantial coastline in the north west of Spain, which results in it having a cuisine rich in seafood and cider made from the apples that grow there. Galician crabs, prawns and lobsters are sold all over Spain, and shellfish such as clams and scallops are found in varieties rarely seen elsewhere. Veal from Galicia is highly regarded.Traditionally, pork fat was used more than oil and the onlhy grains that thrived were rye and corn. Salmon does well in the rivers of Galicia and finds its way into the kitchens, and the rivers also provide tidal estuaries where shellfish can be collected at low tide. Santiago de Compostela in the the west of the region has for centuries drawn large numbers of pilgrims to the area. Wines are dark red and hefty, with Albariño and Ribeiro being representative of how excellent they can be.
Wrasse. Ballan wrasse. A very bony fish which provides good flavour for fish soups.
