Can Fisher

Joining the bright and breezy parade of xiringuito restaurants along Barcelona’s Bogatell beach, Can Fisher is a fresh addition, offering food that is far beyond the typical seaside fare. Of course there are classics, like cod fritters and boiled octopus, but at Can Fisher the former is dressed up with a sweet-tart lemon curd while the latter is made extra indulgent with the addition of smoked bacon and a creamy potato purée. The kitchen works with local products whenever possible and aims to take much-loved traditional flavors and bring them into the current day with elevated technique.

Waiters in sailor stripes bustle around the interior dining room, filled with sunlight and leafy plants, and along the wooden deck of the terrace with its unobstructed views of the Mediterranean, delivering salt-baked cod and seafood paellas fresh off the wood-fired grill.

Little touches, like the fine ribbons of basil in the malagueña olives, and the black salt crystals sprinkled atop the tomato salad with salmorejo, abound. One of my favorite starters was the fresh razor clams from the Delta de l’Ebre, roasted on the Josper grill and dressed with a sweet and savory sauce of mango and miso.

At the entry of Can Fisher is a lively tank full of live lobsters and crabs, both local and imported. Priced based on market value that day, the lobsters are grilled in the Josper oven and served with classic tartar sauce, bernaise sauce and a side of your choice, be it the green salad, roasted potatoes or braised local vegetables. If a succulent lobster, or the hefty dry-aged rib eye steak, don’t strike your fancy, one of the eight varieties of rice surely will—from the creamy rice with scarlet shrimp to the chicken paella with traditional Valencian garrafon beans and beef ribs.

We chose the ubiquitous and easy-to-eat “Arroz Señorito,” a traditional paella with rice that is cooked to nearly dry, topped with peeled prawns, langoustines and mussels. As with any good paella, the key to the richness and depth of flavor is in the broth, and chef Álvaro Garcés and his team at Can Fisher clearly know their way around a stock pot.

Can Fisher. Av. del Litoral 64. Open Mon–Sun 12:30 pm–midnight. T. 93 597 1840