Northern Spain, made up of the regions Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria, is a remote terrain of windswept, rocky Atlantic coastline that meets lush green hills. It would be a mistake to think that this part of the country is any less dramatic or alluring than the more exuberant south, and for those who travel in search of good food, northern Spain is a worthy destination.

The adjacent Basque country with its Michelin-starred restaurants and legendary pintxo bars has long been an attraction, but the decidedly more rustic offerings of the neighbouring regions have largely been neglected. The north’s combination of pasture, mountains and ample rainfall creates the perfect conditions for extraordinary cheeses, such as the coveted Cabrales, as well as extraordinary wines, including the Galician albarino – the country’s finest white. However, the real reason to journey to the ‘green coast’ is seafood. The Spanish appetite for the fruits of the sea is close to religion. Even the famed pilgrimage Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which famously winds its way through the mountains and valleys, is marked with crushed shells.

The coastline is dotted with fishing villages, every town has its own market and the main squares are full of marisco (seafood) bars. Piles of percebes (goose barnacles), boquerones (white anchovies), sea snails and octopus are offered up daily in the smoky, standing-room-only bars. While the raw product is superb, there are recipes that have been passed through the generations, such as this caldereta, a simple fisherman’s stew traditionally cooked on deck after a day at sea, but now cooked up on stovetops at home.

Click here for David’s sensational Caldereta (Spanish seafood stew) recipe.

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