Xato is a Catalan winter salad from the Sitges coast: salt cod, anchovies, tuna and olives on lettuce, dressed with a thick romesco-style xato sauce made from peppers and almonds.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 2 cities.
Xato originated in the Sitges and Vilanova fishing villages southwest of Barcelona in the 17th century, when winter salt cod was the dock-worker staple and the local nyora peppers, almonds and hazelnuts made up a rust-coloured sauce called xato (or 'chato'). The sauce is a romesco cousin: nyora pepper pulp, toasted almonds and hazelnuts, garlic, bread, oil and vinegar, blitzed to a thick paste. The xatonada tradition is the post-Christmas weekend xato lunch served from January to March at Vilanova, Sitges, Vilafranca and El Vendrell. Barcelona's Casa Amalia and 7 Portes both run a version through winter.
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Common allergens: Nuts, Fish
Tip from the editors. The xato sauce is the heart of the dish; do not skip the toasted nuts step. The bread soaks up the moisture and gives the sauce its thick texture.
Casa Amalia in Barcelona's Eixample is a 1950s neighbourhood dining room where bacallà a la llauna and esqueixada sit on the carte every weekday lunch.
OrderThe esqueixada starter and the bacallà a la llauna oven dish.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. The 19 euro menu del dia at lunch is the value pick.
7 Portes in Barcelona's Born has run since 1836: arched rooms, brass plaques on regulars' tables, a paella for each day of the week. Priced at €€€.
OrderThe Thursday paella Parellada and the crema catalana to finish.
TipLunch is easier than dinner; the noon paella is held on the menu every day of the week.
Boquet mixes Catalan home cooking with fishermen's dishes on Carrer de Berenguer de Palou in Salou, best known for fish off the grill and rice dishes.
OrderXató de bacalao with romesco and anchovies, the Tarragona winter salad, from the set lunch.
Why locals goBoquet works from a shop unit on Carrer de Berenguer de Palou, a street back from the promenade, yet the Repsol guide gave it a Solete for its grilled fish and rice.
TipThe €21.50 menú del día runs only at lunch, Tuesday to Friday outside public holidays, and it is not meant for sharing.
Arena Restaurant is the Hotel Blaumar's restaurant open to the public on Passeig Jaume I in Salou, serving rice dishes and sharing plates by the promenade.
OrderA rice dish and a few raciones to share, the house recommendation in the Repsol guide.
TipArena opens from March to November only; the fish comes from the nearby fish auctions, so ask what landed that day.
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