When you visit Malaga during Christmas and the New Year, you should not miss the tasty local cuisine that brings together the best of the Mediterranean diet.
We asked colleagues and friends from Malaga, to find out what their favourite dishes are for this time of year and what they have been preparing traditionally at home and we have compiled the 10 best dishes from Malaga for Christmas. With the wide variety of restaurants available in Malaga, it will be easy to find all these delicacies during your visit to Malaga at Christmas.
Table of Contents
The 10 best dishes from Malaga for Christmas
Due to the great selection in typical Malaga Christmas Gastronomy we have compiled the most popular dishes, surely it will make your mouth water as you pass through the different sections!
Appetizers
In many places, they start with a snack to whet the appetite. In Malaga, probably the star dish would be a board combined with typical Malaga cheeses and Iberian ham.
Soups
A typical dish of Malaga is the Picadillo Soup (Sopa de Picadillo), a soup with minced poultry, hard-boiled egg, noodles and cubes of Serrano ham and decorated with a touch of mint.
Another option is the Christmas classic, Monkfish Soup (Sopa de Rape), with fish, seafood, almonds and white wine, served decorated with chopped hard-boiled egg and sliced or diced fried bread.
Another option is the delicious AB Vineyard Soup (Sopa Viña AB), named after the white wine that is added to it; a classic gazpachuelo enriched with prawns, shrimp, rice and peas. It is perhaps the most typical Malaga soup of all.
Main dishes
Many people in Malaga do not usually eat fish as a main dish at this time of year, as they have this delicacy all year round and many associate it with a more summery meal taken in the chiringuitos (Beach Bars). A popular seafood dish however is the Stuffed Squid (Calamares rellenos) with minced meat and seafood in almond sauce.
Many homes prepare roasts, larded meat, turkey rounds or pork rounds or roast lamb grilled and served with their sauce.
Larded meat (Carne mechada) is a traditional and popular meat in southern Spain that is usually prepared with pork, although it can also be made with beef.
Loin in Lard (Lomo en manteca) is another typical recipe from the mountains of Malaga. Its ingredients are loin of pork, lard, sweet paprika, oregano and laurel.
Roasted lamb (Cordero asado) is another favourite Christmas dish of many locals, accompanied by “patatas a lo pobre“, which are potatoes fried in abundant oil with green peppers, onions and eggs, in the purest Malaga style.
And last but not least, we would also like to mention the pork fillet (Solomillo de cerdo) with Malaga muscatel wine, raisins and pine nuts.
Desserts and Drinks
The usual drinks (usually alcoholic) that accompany dinner are cava and white wines for seafood and fish and red wines for meat.
Lemon sorbets are also very popular as a light digestive, to make room for desserts! Typical Malaga sweets are borrachuelos and bienmesabe, accompanied by a glass of Anisette.
Restaurants in Malaga province open on Christmas
Here we have prepared for you a small selection of restaurants in the province of Malaga that open at Christmas, with vegetarian and vegan options. Reservation is essential!
Estepona
Restaurant Alminar Hotel Kempinski
Christmas menu with vegetarian option
Christmas menu: kempinski-hotel-bahia-christmas-menus-2019.pdf
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 952 80 95 00
Marbella
Erre & Urrechu – Hotel Meliá Don Pepé
Excellent menu with delicious vegan options
Website: facebook.com/erreurrechumarbella
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 952 858 238
Soleo Marbella Hotel Fuerte
Elaborate menu with delicious vegan options
Web site: www.soleomarbella.com
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 951 56 28 87
Fuengirola
Arara Bistro Bar
Next to the Hotel El Higueron. International cuisine with vegetarian options.
Web site: www.ararabistrobar.es
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 607 60 02 25
Benalmadena
Venetiis Restaurant
In Benalmádena Pueblo, near the Buddhist Stupa. With very few vegetarian options and no vegetarian main course.
Menu: venetiisrestaurant.com
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 951 76 51 99
Malaga
Príncipe de Asturias – Gran Hotel Miramar
Elaborate menu, but no satisfactory vegetarian or vegan options.
Web site: www.granhotelmiramarmalaga.com
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 952 603 000
Mimo Vegan Málaga centro
Vegan restaurant in central Soho with delicious, elaborate dishes
Menu: facebook.com/mimovegan
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 952 06 19 79
Nerja
Restaurant Parador de Nerja
With vegan options
Menu: www.parador.es
Phone number for reservations: (+34) 952520050
We are happy to hear your suggestions and recommendations to expand the list!
;)
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The 10 best dishes from Malaga for Christmas