Tapa Thursday-Almería

This being my last tapas post about Almería, I thought that I would showcase a couple of other places in Almería that were too good not to mention. 

Bar Barea was your typical tapas bar situated outside of the local market. It had a covered outdoor space that allowed us to enjoy the fresh air, yet be shielded from the wind and have our fair share of people watching. I always do a little bit of homework about the must-have food in each city that we travel to and I had read that the cuttlefish was a must in Almería. This was my first to try cuttlefish, or jibia and it was a delightful treat. These lightly sautéed pieces of jibia were very similar to octopus, yet more buttery. They were gone in an instant.

Here is the famous blood sausage sandwich, or bocadilla de morcilla at Bar Barea. I have to say that my husband ordered this and I was not in the mood for a bite. I assumed it was delicious because it was not around for long.

This tasty bite was offered by the waiter (I did not catch the name, just nodded and said sí). I have no idea what type of fish that it was, but it was light and flaky, and a great bite along with my caña.

Last tapa from Bar Barea were the mejillones escabeche or pickled mussels. The amount of vinegar that pickled the mussels was just enough to tenderize and lightly flavor them, and they were an instant hit. I could have these pickled mussels as a snack anytime. They were perfect with the chips or without. 

This next place was recommended to us by a local that was hanging out with her friends at El Candil (check out my last Tapas Thursday, for this gem). Entremares Centro was a stark white restaurant with paper tablecloths and it was extremely busy. It showcased only seafood on the countertop for tapas selections. I had the pulpo en aceite with my vino de verano and I am forever changed with octopus. I like octopus, but I don't love it. I normally skip over it for something else, but if every piece of octopus tasted like this, I would get it every time. This "salad" was marinated in olive oil and paprika. It was so tender it made me forget the sometimes chewy octopus from the past. I have since had octopus in Sevilla and it was not even close to the same. 

Last, but certainly not least, the cockles. They had cockles in the shell or as a salad, shown here. The cockles were marinated in olive oil, citrus, and fresh herbs. They were tender, mild in flavor, and a nice tapa. 

I would say overall we ate very well in Almería. It was a great way to taste different items from the sea and the different flavors that they offered as compared to Sevilla. We went to Almería to visit a different region of Spain and came away with that and a new and fun tapas adventure.