Roasted Bass and Xató Recipe

After spending the day in Sitges (http://thespanishtouch.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/sitges-day-trip-part-i.html), we decided the best way to celebrate our day trip was to make a Sitges-style meal at home. As Sitges is a beach town, the dish was inspired by the sea but the star of the show is the 'xató', a Sitges specialty: an almond based sauce that can go with salads (as we choose to do) or fish.

The first stop: the fish market! It is always fun to buy fish at the market. Our choice was 'llobarro' (sea bass). And the recipe is Roasted Sea Bass.

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 cleaned Sea Bass.
1 Lemon.
4 medium potatoes.
1 large onion.
1 cup white wine.
Parsley, pepper and salt to taste.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180º celsius). While the oven is heating up, prepare an oven tray with a coating of olive oil. Peel and slice the potatoes and layer them on the tray. Salt and pepper potatoes. Slice the onion and put it on top of the potatoes. Bake the potatoes and onion for 10 minutes. 
• Once the potatoes and onion are ready, rinse the fish and put it on top of the potatoes. Stuff the fish with sliced lemon and season it with pepper, salt and parsley. Add the wine. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. There should be a layer of juice at the bottom of the tray. If you see the fish looks too dry, you can pour some water on top. 

While we wait those 20 minutes for the fish to be ready, we can prepare the Xató for our salad.

Ingredients:

100 gr. roasted almonds.
60 gr. roasted hazelnuts.
2 anchovies.
2 cloves of garlic.
1 nyora (a type of dried red pepper).
Half a chilli pepper.
2 or 3 dry bread slices (or toasted).
Oil, salt and vinegar.

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients using a morter and pestle. Add the oil and vinegar until you achieve the right consistency.

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Sitges Day Trip - Part I

Half an hour south of Barcelona is the charming seaside town of Sitges, not only known for its beach and shopping area, but also for its Horror Film Festival and its Carnaval celebration. But its more than that too.

We got to Sitges just after lunch time on a mild, breezy Saturday. The first thing we did was wander down to the beach, where we saw the statues of Modernista painters Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas. Behind us, standing proudly above the beach was Sant Bartomeu and Santa Tecla Church. On the stairs leading up to the church we stopped to admire the mermaid statue overlooking the rocky coast.

Once we got up to the top, we strolled around the old town, taking a walk past the museums and the town hall and into the maze of streets packed with boutique shops and the delectable smells of the tapas restaurants.

Finally we made our way along the Passeig Maritim, the seaside promenade which stretched all the way down the coast until we reached the "hippie fair", a series of stalls set up on the promenade itself selling an array of clothes, jewelry and accessories.

Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla Church

Sitges Mermaid

Streets in the old city

Streets in the old city

Hippy fair on the promenade