Lanzarote Fresh Fish Of The Day

There is nothing better than a fresh fish lunch eaten at a restaurant situated over looking the sea somewhere along the coast in Lanzarote. Most of the time we leave which fish of the day up to the waiter and we’ve yet to be disappointed.

fresh fish of the day

The Spanish name of the fish often bears no resemblance to the English equivalent so we’ve shortlisted a few of the more common ones found on menu’s in Lanzarote to help you decide what to order.

  • Dorada – sea bream
  • Cherne – stone bass
  • Bonito – skipjack tuna
  • Bocinegro – common sea bream
  • Boquerones – anchovies
  • Lubina – sea bass
  • Vieja – parrot fish
  • Morena – moray eel
  • Gueldes – whitebait
  • Cantarero – scorpion
  • Medregal – amberjack
  • Gambas – shrimps
  • Langostinos – prawns
  • Pulpo – octopus
  • Calamares – squid
  • Lapas – limpets
  • Mejillones – mussels
  • Lenguado – sole

One of the strangest fish we’ve eaten in Lanzarote is called cantarero, it was served to us twice recently. The first time we were enjoying Sunday lunch in the small coastal village of Arrieta in the North, Restaurante El Charcon sits on the harbour overlooking the dolls house. We told the waiter we’d like fresh fish of the day but served fried and he suggested cantarero, simply prepared with the sides scored and deep fried it was delicious. Later when we looked up the name we found out we’d just eaten a plate of scorpion fish! Not the most handsome of the species but definitely very tasty.

Cantarero or scorpion fishCantalero grilled

I was offered cantarero a week or two afterwards at a the Restaurante Playa Quemada situated in the South of the island on a black beach. The waiter could only translate it as a local fish when I questioned if this too was a scorpion fish, this time it was served open and grilled with slices of toasted garlic on top, it was lovely but not quite as nice as the deep fried version I’d eaten previously.

El Golfo is a popular destination for fresh fish lunches, there are a plethora of restaurants to choose from in this seaside village nestled between Timanfaya and Playa Blanca. Waiters will call to you in the street to try and tempt you into their restaurant to eat the fresh catch of the day.

There’s lots of fish in the typical Canarian tapas dishes such as Ropavieja con pescado which is a fish and chickpea stew, La Era is a lovely place to visit in Yaiza with all the favourite recipes passed down through the generations and a beautiful Canarian finca with central courtyard too.

La Era ropavieja pescadoGambas y Pulpo Cazuela “El Cortijo

The Cazuela “El Cortijo” is a delicious sizzling skillet full of octopus, prawns, mushrooms and garlic, we enjoyed this dish at the Restaurante El Cortijo in Haría.

The beauty of an island the size of Lanzarote is that the sea isn’t very far away and we have some fabulous restaurants to dine out at during your holiday. We hope that you are a little adventurous and enjoy exploring the island and the range of cuisine on offer.