Shellfish Festival of O Grove
The small fishing village on the Rias Baixas of Galicia celebrates the abundance and variety of its amazing seafood in its 60th Festa do Marisco.
Legend goes that when God finished creating the world, he relaxed on the seventh day, resting his hand upon the top north-west of Spain, leaving five indentations for the sea to fill. Thus the Rías Baixas – the lower estuaries of Galicia – were established, or the ‘Handprint of God’.
He must have been holding a handful of interesting aquatic creations at the time, because I’m sure there are few places in the world that can boast such an abundance of comestible fruits of the sea as these estuaries.
It was here, sitting on the terrace of a parrillada restaurant in O Grove with a view to the sun setting over the Arousa estuary, that I tried my first shellfish platter of grilled razor clams, langoustines, giant prawns, baby octopus, cuttlefish, scallops, monkfish, and mussels.
To tell the truth, I can’t remember if these were all on the one plate, but they could have been. The mariscadas are famous for their incredible quality and variety of seafood and come generously heaped. The long platters brim with sweet and umami flavours, melt-in-the-mouth textures, and finger licking succulence.
Many of these bizarre creatures I had seen propped up on ice or crawling in buckets in the Madrid markets, because despite being located in the centre of the country, Madrid has some of the freshest and best seafood in the country.
But it was in Galicia that I appreciated exactly what delectable morsels these mini beasts could turn into.
The octopus that sits on the bar top like a small pink invited alien is the unofficial regional star and is served everywhere sliced and dressed in spicy paprika, sea salt and a healthy dribble of olive oil.
There are goose barnacles collected from the dangerous windswept cliffs of the Costa da Morte (Death Coast), spider crabs, prawns, Norway lobsters, and oysters. Out on the estuaries you can see a line of wooden bateas, floating wooden structures where mussels and scallops grow from ropes hanging in the waters.
There are clams, cockles and the long, weird razor clams that are collected by the women armed with rubber boots and buckets who converge on the beaches at low tide in all weather, bent over and eagle eyed on the tiny holes bubbling in the wet sand.
The lower estuaries are the lifeblood of so many generations of Gallegos who have elevated this once humble fare of the common fisherman to a gourmet feast fit for royalty. There are people who still remember it said: “Imagine being so poor you could only eat seafood”.
Their gastronomy, accompanied by their acclaimed Albarino white wines, has drawn visitors from all over the country and beyond to celebrate and partake in the annual Festa do Marisco (Shellfish Festival) in the Rias Baixas of Galicia since 1963.
This year (2023), marks its 60th year and continues to attract increasingly more seafood lovers who gather in the huge marquees set up in the town centre. Inside the stalls they showcase the specialty dishes that have evolved and passed down from generation to generation. Some offer plates of unadorned shellfish that are perfect on their own, with perhaps just a sprinkle of sea salt or a wedge of lemon.
Between the 5th and 15th of October, O Grove celebrates with dozens of music concerts, as well as cooking demonstrations and workshops, talks, and presentations with prestigious chefs.
The marquees and restaurants are open for lunch and dinner every day from Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 16:30 and 19:00 to 22:30, and Saturday and Sunday from 11: 30 to 17:00 and 19:00 to 23:00.
I highly recommend taking a boat trip out to the bateas bobbing in the estuary. There are many boat tours available at reasonable prices where you are treated to mussels and prawns and a bottle of wine.
And don’t forget to check out the pretty island of A Toxe just a short boat ride from O Grove to visit the tiny church covered entirely in scallop shells. The healing properties of the island’s thermal waters attracted visitors to the Balneario Health Resort for many years before it was restored and refurbished into a five-star Grand Hotel.