El Tintero ★ 4.3
El Tintero is Málaga's singing-waiter chiringuito in El Palo, where fried fish and espetos are auctioned aloud and you grab plates as they fly past.
Order: Whatever the waiters are shouting: grab the fried fish as it passes
History
The espeto was born in the fishing villages of El Palo and Pedregalejo in the 19th century, where crews cooked their catch on cane skewers stuck into the sand beside a fire. Legend credits the Bono brothers and a royal visit by Alfonso XII in 1884 with fixing the tradition. Today espeteros still build driftwood fires inside old boats hulled with sand, angling the skewers toward the flames so the sardines cook on one side only. Sardines are fattest and best from May to September, the months when Málaga eats them almost nightly on the beach.
Common allergens: Fish
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 24 fresh sardines, whole and ungutted
- Coarse sea salt
- Lemon wedges to serve
- Cane or bamboo skewers, soaked in water
Method
- Light a charcoal or wood fire and let it burn down to steady embers with no flame.
- Rinse the sardines, pat dry and salt them generously on both sides.
- Thread 5 to 6 sardines onto each skewer through the body just below the spine, keeping them aligned.
- Set the skewers at an angle beside the embers, fish facing the heat, and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- The skin should blister and the flesh turn opaque; serve straight off the skewer with lemon.
Tip from the editors. Do not gut the sardines: the fat inside keeps them moist and is the whole point of a good espeto.
Where to eat espeto de sardinas
Espeto de sardinas in Málaga
El Cabra ★ 4.1
El Cabra has grilled espetos on boat-hull fires at Pedregalejo beach in Málaga since 1965, a seaside institution for pescaíto frito and rice.
Los Cuñaos ★ 4.0
Los Cuñaos has grilled sardine espetos and fried fish on Pedregalejo beach in Málaga since 1983, a family chiringuito for a long seaside lunch.
Miguelito el Cariñoso ★ 4.1
Miguelito el Cariñoso is a beloved Pedregalejo chiringuito in Málaga, packed with locals for its espetos, fried fish and generous seafood paella.
El Caleño ★ 4.1
El Caleño has grilled espetos and fried fish on Pedregalejo's promenade in Málaga for over thirty years, a beach institution for pescaíto frito.
More cities are in research. Want espeto de sardinas covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.