Valencia - Part 1 (Mercado Central)

When I started to plan this trip a couple of months ago, I decided to include a couple of days in Valencia, mainly because I wanted to taste authentic paella at its source. But I frankly didn't know much about the city, except that it is the third largest in Spain. I was excited, then, when last month's Saveur included an article on Valencia by Colman Andrews calling it one of the most exciting gastronomic destinations in the country. After two short days there, I regret that I didn't allot more more time in this beautiful city.

I will not mince words here: if you are a food lover, particularly a lover of fresh fish and seafood, then you must come to Valencia. This is a command, not a suggestion. A visit to the Mercado Central is alone worth the cost of the trip. Built in the first three decades of the twentieth century, this enclosed marketplace is vast, more than 8,000 square meters (if my math is correct, approximately 80,000 square feet). Demonstrating the value Valencianos place on the importance of food, a glance at a map shows that the market takes up more square footage than the city's cathedral. The central dome atop of the cavernous marketplace rises ten stories, also comparable to a cathedral.

What is truly impressive to this food lover is the selection and quality of the seafood. As a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I am justly proud of my city's newly renovated Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. While I believe our organic farmers grow some of the best produce in the world, my biggest gripe with our market is the lack of quality seafood (with the exception on Saturdays of Shogun Fish). Of course, the main reason is we don't have a fraction of the selection they have here in Spain, blessed with vast coasts on both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. But it is so frustrating to walk into a fish market and smell the tell-tale stench of old fish and then see their depressingly cloudy eyes.

The Mercado Central devotes at least a quarter of its space to seafood. I counted dozens of stalls, each specializing in just a few items, such as live eels or bivalves or cephalopods or crabs. The fishmongers, almost exclusively women, proudly display their wares like jewels in white marble cases lined with fresh ice, open for you to sniff and poke (California health inspectors please note: fish should be sold like fruit, open to inspection, not sealed in vacuum-packed bags). Amidst this orgy of fish, not once did I see a cloudy eye or smell a whiff of fishiness.

Two characteristics particularly impressed me. Accustomed as we are in the States to enduring frozen, defrosted farmed shrimp, I was astonished that virtually all of the langoustines (cigalas -- we don't even have these in the US) and shrimp were still kicking. They do not sell frozen farmed shrimp here. The second interesting fact was the complete dearth of farmed fish of any kind. Even the mussels (clochinas) which in the States either come from farms in New Zealand or Prince Edwards Island, are wild and only available when in season. Again, there is little need for farmed fish. In fact, upon questioning the fishmongers, the vast majority of the fish is caught within 100 miles of the city. Lucky, lucky Valencianos.

Comments

[Nopisto]

Yes, Valencianos are lucky to have the beatiful Mercado Central wich is great but not the best place to buy, you can have the same selection but cheaper in the not so posh neighbourhood markets. My favourite is El Cabanyal in the old fishermen quarter.

[Brett]

Nopisto, thanks for the advice. Lucky Valencianos can get beautiful fresh seafood at a great price, too! Wish I were back there so I could check it out. Welcome to IPOS.