La Canada, Lanzarote 01-2013

Food pickings in the main resort town of Puerto del Carmen are extremely numerous. Restaurants, cafes, bars and supermarkets lie side-by-side along the entire seaside. Despite the choices finding something particularly good amongst the rabble is difficult, especially given the majority of people roaming the streets are English and German tourists. Even reading all the internet recommendations for restaurants, there are very few located within PDC itself.

Nonetheless one place that sounded promising was La Canada. Located off the main strip but still right in the middle of the longest beach Playa Grande makes it easily accessible.

In the remarkably quiet time of mid-January, there were only 2 other tables eating for lunch, both of which were Spanish - a promising sign.

The waiter recommended a starter of mussels and a main of grilled merluza (hake). Both were fresh and local.

- Mussels steamed in White Wine - quite simply the best mussels I've eaten in my life. Fat, large (from 3-6cm), rich with their own ocean juices and soaking in the most lovely white wine & garlic brine broth. Cleaned and debearded perfectly with minerals firmly on their shells showing how natural they are;
- Pan-fried butterflied Hake with Canarian potato & salad - nicely cooked fresh fish well seasoned, although not an particularly unique taste. The potato was skinless boiled and cold - very unexpected.

The fish was served with traditional Canary sauces - green garlic & coriander (Mojo Cilantro) and a quite spicy red pepper/paprika (Mojo Picon)

Next time I would order the Mussels every day of the week - they were phenomenal. I'd suggest listening to the waiters recommendations for fresh local ingredients of the day, although (like nearly everywhere), molluscs and crustacea are safer.