La Cantina: Special paellas from Javea Port

The stylish resort town of Javea has a generous share of fine restaurants, but when it comes to authentic seafood paellas those in the know always head directly for the fishing harbour. Here, amid a scenic setting of painted fishing boats overhung by the towering rock that juts out to sea to form the Cabo San Antonio, they are experts in special seafood paellas of the region.

La Cantina is not the prettiest restaurant you will ever come across, but its enduring appeal lies in its authenticity and the good honest fare it serves. Locals come here so often they are greeted by name, and even foreign visitors are welcomed with a certain familiar hospitality. This is a place you can relax and feel at home in, without the need to dress up. Many, in fact, come straight off the beach, though thankfully the Spanish are not in the habit of turning up in their bathing costumes either. At La Cantina, local and visitor, young and old come together to enjoy what are generally regarded as the best and most authentic seafood paellas for many miles.

Paellas, which originate from the wider Valencia region, are rice stews prepared in huge paellas – special pans that are cooked on a large fire. The ingredients added can vary from meat and vegetables inland to combinations of fish and seafood more typical along the coast. The one binding characteristic is the beautiful gold-yellow saffron-induced colour of the rice, and the best part of any paella is the crispy rice that sticks at the bottom of the pan.

Located as it is within a fishing area, La Cantina is famous for its fish and seafood paellas, and on the day we visited the variation on the menu consisted of Arròs d’aladroc, with boquerones (anchovies) and spinach, a combination which, combined with onions, herbs and other accoutrements produced a feast that is far more appealing than it may at first sound to foreign ears. When in these parts, therefore, head for an authentic specialist like La Cantina and allow yourself to be surprised by the gorgeous flavours of Spain’s most famous dish.

Rimontgó has houses and apartments for sale in Javea Port.

New post on at Tuesday, 22 June, 2010, 9:10 am and is archived in Food and drink, Lifestyle. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.