Within the Asturian cuisine, Gijón occupies a leading role, either for its signature cuisine or for its particular maritime seal in the preparation of the most traditional dishes of the Principality. Undoubtedly, the gastronomy of Gijón finds its first source of inspiration, and its raw materials, in the Cantabrian sea that bathes its coasts, being fish and seafood their culinary stars.
When sitting at the table your restaurantsWith fine linens and professional service honed over decades, we continue to see on the menus that the fruits of fishing and shellfish gathering are the most frequently featured: fried monkfish, hake or cod, fish and seafood soups, octopus with potatoes: a stew in which the small rock octopus (pulpín de pedréu) achieves a splendid flavor over low heat; chipirones afogaos ("drowned," because they are cooked with the lid on).
And those two exquisite species, as they are the tiñosu (scorpionfish) and the swallow (cucumber or pearl cotton), in a pot; or the undisputed specialty of the tuna belly, a summer dish that originated in the Cimadevilla fishing district; also typical of summer are squid caught by jigging (caught with a hook); and we do not forget the monkfish with lobster, the fried or grilled red mullet and a long etcetera of recipes enriched almost always with clams and spider crabs, and with no more seasonings than the basics: garlic, onion, olive oil, parsley, paprika, white wine and little else.
It is also abundant the seafood that is eaten with no preparation other than a good cooking: prawns, crayfish, barnacles, razor clams, spider crabs, gnocchi (sea crabs), the popular limpets and especially the sea urchins, one of the greatest gastronomic pleasures that the sea offers and that in Gijón they have been enjoying since the beginning of time.
Everything makes our mouths water, and from fishmongers and fishmongers it jumps to the counters, bars and tables of a sector, the restaurant industry, which in Gijón has an almost capital relevance. Poach, stew, blanch, confitA flavorful vocabulary born from the kitchens, which in this city finds its own dialect, enriching the reputation of a cuisine like Asturian, which practically everyone who knows it speaks well of.
But in addition to seafood, Gijón's hospitality industry also features products from the land and air, specifically in classic pots, menestras, rice or beans, recipes with roxa meat, as well as Asturian desserts and a pastry in which the Charlota shines with its own light, a cake prepared with a base and base of biscuits, with chocolate, candied cherries and a long inventory of ingredients; or the Tarta Gijonesa, a dessert with a generic name that, among other things, mixes almonds and nougat. Without forgetting famous Asturian desserts such as rice pudding, apple cakes, frixuelos, casadielles, hazelnut cakes ...
Asturian recipe books
If you want to know Asturian cuisine or where to eat well, we recommend you buy the book "Recipes to love Asturias" and "Les fartures", two interesting and very well documented books.
Gijón's picnic areas and snack bars
In recent decades, Gijón's gastronomy has been enriched by a popular way of enjoying food, a formula that has always been one of the essences of Asturian culture. The espichas They combine a party or celebration, good food based on tapas, appetizers in abundance and lots of cider, which on these occasions is usually from a barrel or a pipe and not from a bottle.
Fried foods, chorizos, tortillas, sausages and salted meats, boiled eggs, a long etcetera arranged on the long tables of a cider mill (the equivalent, one might say, of a wine cellar), where barrels and large spaces abound. In any case, we would not be entirely objective if we identified the llagares and “simple” food, since many of them today offer all kinds of menus, and some even host wedding banquets.
In the vicinity of the Universidad Laboral, also near the Botanical Garden, more specifically between the areas known as Magdalena and Maizales, there are numerous picnic areas, several cider factories and cider mills. In the parishes of Cabueñes, Cefontes or Castiello, where the landscape becomes completely rural, with meadows, bushes (natural hedges) and farmhouses, surrounded by fruit trees, these cider mills of Gijón find their greatest density.
Gastronomic events in Gijón
Throughout the year there are various events and initiatives that bring together Gijón residents and visitors around the table. We will tell you about some of them.
Gijón de Sidras 2025
Make room in your diaries… Read more
Gijón de pinchos 2026
From the 15th to the 24th of… Read more
«Gijón Gourmet» offers traditional cuisine with modern touches in which flavour and raw materials are the most important elements.
Gijón Gastronómico
Within Asturian cuisine, … Read more
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
