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    Traditional food from Málaga: Ten dishes you have to try

    Here’s your guide to the traditional food of the Malaga region that you can’t leave Marbella without trying during your vacations.

    Foodies are in luck during a holiday to Marbella. The traditional dishes that you can find on every corner are absolutely delicious and packed full of history and culture. A great way to try loads of different dishes during your holiday is to visit the tapas bars and have a selection of small plates to share in each place or visit the best restaurants in Marbella. Cruising around tapas bars on a hot summer’s evening is a pleasure and if you ask the waiter for their best dishes, you can get a real culinary education.

    Marbella is part of the Málaga province and so Marbella’s dishes come from the rich history of Málaga and Andalucia, as well as being part of the wider Spanish cuisine that has become so famous around the world. The Costa del Sol was made up of fishing villages, and you can still head out to sea and catch a wide variety of fish off our shores. So, there’s no wonder that fish and seafood dominate the list of traditional dishes, but we have some inland dishes on this list as well for a taste of the mountains just behind the coastline.

    Let’s dive in and take you on a tour of Málaga’s ten most traditional and best loved dishes.

    1. Espeto de sardinas

    Sardines are plentiful along the Costa del Sol and the most traditional way to cook them is over fire, on a skewer, with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. You’ll see most beach restaurants o chiringuitos with old fishing boats, filled with sand and a fire burning away on top. The fish and seafood skewers are stuck in the sand and the talented “espeteros” turn the fish, angle it and move it around, to get the perfect char and smokiness, and ensure the flesh is succulent and cooked through. Enjoy these sardines fresh from the fire, with a squeeze of lemon.

    2. Fried fish

    You’ll find “Fritura Malagueña” on most menus, especially in the coastal parts of the Malaga province. Essentially, this is just a selection of small fish and squid, whatever the fisherman would have caught that day, covered in seasoned flour and deep fried, until crispy and delicious. These are the smaller and less prized seafood, such as squid, red mullet and anchovies, but it can consist of anything that was plentiful in the daily catch. Enjoy with a salad, some aioli and a generous squeeze of lemon.

    3. Concha fina

    These large clams are served oyster style, raw, and in open shells over ice and are delicious. They are sweet, salty and really fresh, served simply with a few grinds of black pepper and some lemon juice and slurped down with gusto! The texture is much less challenging than an oyster and they are smaller, but packed with flavor. You can often buy these in seafood restaurant or tapas bars individually, so you can give them a try, even if you’re not a raw seafood lover.

    4. Málaga potato salad

    There are two names for this dish that you might see on menus, “Ensalada Malagueña” or “Ensalada Cateta”. It’s a really interesting combination of boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salt cod (bacalao), orange, onion, olive oil and salt. There are many different recipes, so you may find it with peppers, tomatoes and cucumber and even have the salt cod replaced with tuna. Whatever the combination, it’s a very interesting, and filling salad and while combining potatoes, eggs, orange and fish may sound weird, we’d definitely suggest giving it a try.

    5. Eggplant with honey

    Here’s another seemingly strange combination that tastes amazing – Berenjenas con miel (eggplants or aubergine with molasses). The “miel” is translated as “honey” but it’s actually “miel de caña” which is a kind of black treacle made from sugar cane. The eggplant is cut into rounds, or chip shapes, covered with seasoned flour and fried until golden and crispy. Salt is then added and it is drizzled in a good amount of black, sweet molasses and eaten hot. This is a delicious bar snack or side and perfect for vegetarians.

    6. Porra antequerana

    We’re moving away from the coast and into the mountains for this next dish, which comes from the pretty town of Antequera, around an hour inland from Málaga city. This cold soup is very similar to salmorejo, featuring tomatoes, bread and olive oil as the stars. The main difference between salmorejo and porra being that porra has red and green pepper added and is heavier on the bread, for a slightly thicker texture. Whichever of these soups you choose, expect it to be topped with diced ham and eggs and be a very satisfying and rich soup, perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.

    7. Ajoblanco

    Ajoblanco is another chilled soup, but this time there are no tomatoes to be seen. It’s also based on stale bread, but also has almonds, garlic and vinegar, blended to a smooth consistency, chilled and served with grapes on top.

    8. Plato de los Montes de Málaga

    Literally translating as the plate of the Mountains of Malaga, this is a hearty dish that you’ll find inland in any of the small “ventas” or cafes along the roadside. Be hungry when you order this, as the portions are always generous! It usually consists of chips, egg, and one or two kinds of sausage (often chorizo and black pudding, but this varies) and a fried green pepper.

    9. Campero Malagueño

    This is a typical Malaga style sandwich, served on a large white bread roll called a Mollete, which is traditional to Antequera. It can be filled with absolutely anything, but we love it with chicken.

    10. Crazy cakes

    We’re finishing our top 10 with something sweet. “Tortas Locas” or Crazy Cakes are sweet pastries which are essentially a sandwich of two puff pastry discs, filled with a chilled custard/ crème patissiere and then topped or covered with an egg yolk cream, a sweet glaze and a glacé cherry on top. Find this in a bakery and enjoy with a strong coffee.

    This is just the tip of the culinary iceberg in the Málaga province. You’ll eat well here, especially if you dare to eat with the locals and try new things. If you need a bit of guidance, there are some great food tours where knowledgeable guides will share their favorite dishes, and show you around.

    We’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these dishes on your holiday, or if there are any that we’ve missed. Bon appétit, or as they say here – ¡Buen Provecho!

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