Friday favorites 10/7

Sea urchins, spicy ramen, and Soy Sohho on repeat, dispatched from somewhere over the Atlantic

Erizo de mar (sea urchin)

Greetings from 34,000 feet! As I’ve alluded to a couple of times recently, I’m traveling to the US to visit my family for the first time since starting this newsletter. Writing with so many people surrounding me is a little nerve-racking, but luckily my fellow travelers aren’t staring at me any more than they do when I break out my baguette and jamón ibérico to assemble an in-flight bocadillo (a pro tip for plane travel that I stole from David).

I may not have been able to actually write my post earlier, but I did do lots of eating to prepare for it! Below, the things that have topped my list this week:

• I’ve said this many times, but I often wonder what my younger, pickier self would have said about some of the more unusual things that I find myself eating. Example of the week: erizos de mar.¹ David and I went to Pescaderías Coruñesas in search of oysters (sadly not from Cancale), and the spiky little creatures caught his eye. At first I was hesitant to try them, but then I remembered that I’d had them in sushi, so they couldn’t be that scary.

  

  Sea urchins and oysters at Pescaderías Coruñesas

  The most unsettling part was actually opening them—I generously let David take care of that part. The attendant at the seafood shop had instructed him to take scissors and puncture a hole in the center, then cut in a circle to form a larger opening, like so:

  

  David el valiente (David the brave)

  I’ll admit once they were open (pictured at top of today’s newsletter), I started having seafood buyer’s remorse.² We decided to eat them raw—the typical way of eating them, at least in Spain—and the idea of fishing out the rufescent pieces me daba asco.³ But I forged on like a true epicure, and you know what? I actually liked it! The flavor was quintessentially seafood-y (a highly technical term) but lighter than I was expecting, and the texture was satiny in a way that made it almost melt in your mouth. I foresee more sea urchins in our future…

• Since moving to Madrid, October has always marked the inauguration of ramen season for me, likely because the ever-popular Ramen Kagura used to start serving Tantanmen ramen (their spicy version) at the beginning of the month. October is also when the weather here truly starts to cool down and eating a scalding soup actually makes sense. This year I wasted no time in lining up a visit, and we stepped foot in Ramen Kagura almost before I could say “Rabbit, rabbit.” I went with the Tantanmen as always, and it was just the hug of warmth I needed to kick off the season.

  

  Ramen Kagura: still one of the best ramen spots in the city

  Side note to my fellow ramen aficionados: don’t be too proud to wear a bib. I was wearing a white blouse, and when one of the chefs came out and offered me a babero⁴ I almost said no. After a moment of hesitation I acquiesced, and upon close inspection post-meal, I could see several tiny dots of broth spread out across the bib. Thanks, Chef!

• I’m not sure if this is cheating since I mentioned it in one of the Sunday Sobremesas last month, but I ordered Soy Sohho’s Ban Mian made with rabo de toro⁵ again this week and it’s quickly rising to the top of my favorite dishes. The flavor is complex in a way that’s sometimes hard to find with Asian food in Madrid, and the noodles are so silky that they can only be handmade. If you live in the city (or find yourself visiting), you absolutely have to try it.

  

  Ban Mian Soy Sohho

A few notes before I log off in search of in-flight entertainment:

• This week is Sobremesa week! Check back on Sunday to see what we’re discussing and to join in the chat.

• Even though I’ll be visiting family for a bit, I’m going to try my best to stick to my twice-weekly publishing schedule. There may be a chance that a Wednesday post gets pushed to Thursday, but unless you hear otherwise, I’ll still be here!

Signing off for now; comments are open as always! Hasta el domingo!⁶

Ki

1. Erizo de mar: Sea urchin, or literally “hedgehog of the sea”

2. Buyer’s remorse: Thank you to the movie Clueless for teaching me this term at a young age.

3. Me daba asco: It grossed me out

4. Babero: Bib

5. Rabo de toro: Ox tail

6. Hasta el domingo: Until Sunday