Skim in Season at Boqueria’s Market Specials
by Cori Sue
In addition to its classic Spanish tapas, Boqueria now offers nightly market specials, sourcing from local farmers markets and regional purveyors. I was excited to see what they had in season when I visited recently. While we’re thrilled winter is nearly coming to an end, we don’t miss an opportunity for a citrus salad. Layers of bright and beautiful citrus rounds (grapefruit, blood orange, orange) were topped with crushed hazelnuts, thin manchego slices, mint, and pepper. It was clean, simple, and beautiful, and just the right start to our meal.
Another must from the seasonal options? The seasonal croquettas, a delicious sweet potato and a truffle cheese variety. Who can argue with that?

Also on special, a seasonal bowl of Spanish cod, seasoned simply with pesto and served with grilled clams. This was the perfect healthy, hearty dish for a weeknight and reminded us of eating seafood by the water in Barcelona.

It’s impossible to visit Boqueria and not order the Tabla de Quesos, a large board of the best of Spanish cheeses and accoutrements. Slices of manchego, aged Mahon (a hard Spanish cheese), hearty helpings of goat cheese, Marcona almonds, green and black olives, and large, crispy slices of pan con tomate. Outside of Spain, there’s no better place to enjoy pan con tomate than Boqueria, which has crafted the classic Spanish dish flawlessly. Typically, the jamon Serrano, the classic Spanish prosciutto, and jamon Iberico, the pricier, aged variety, come on a separate board. But, if you ask nicely, they’ll probably throw some jamon on your cheese plate as this request comes often.

Last but not least, Boqueria slays with the dessert options, but there was one that took the cake: the dulce de leche almond cake. A dense, thick yet moist almond flour cake was served with dulce de leche ice cream, fresh whipped cream, and a dense dulce de leche drizzle. It was decadent, heavy, and oh-so-satisfying. And, bonus points for being gluten-free.