October 12 Caldero Day on the beaches of Los Alcazares!

All-day celebrations on the beaches of Los Alcázares to celebrate municipal independence day!

In Los Alcázares 12^th October is not only the National Day of Spain, and therefore a public holiday, but also the anniversary of the creation of the municipality in 1983, and every year the date is celebrated on the beach with a day dedicated to barbecues featuring the delicious and iconic “caldero” fish stock and rice dish, served along with spicy garlic mayonnaise.

In 2024 some 250 groups are taking part and the Town Hall is providing four stages along the seafront on which DJs will be providing music throughout the day, and as ever it is expected that the thousands of locals enjoying a day out on the sand will be joined by crowds of visitors from all over Murcia and including a substantial international contingent.

The groups cooking their own caldero are to be stationed along the beach from the air base to Los Narejos, and among them 40 are participating for the first time. Many are coming from outside the Mar Menor area to join in the celebration of Mar Menor cuisine at its finest!

The day’s entertainment begins between 11.00 and 13.00 with a competition for throwing the caldero, the pot in which the dish is traditionally made, and music and a lively atmosphere are guaranteed throughout the day. At the same time, bars and restaurants will be overflowing onto the streets of the town, with each restaurant expecting to serve a minimum of 400 portions of caldero during the day.

Caldero

No visit to the Costa Cálida is complete without sampling the local cuisine, and one of the most popular specialities in the Region of Murcia is the “caldero” of Cabo de Palos and the Mar Menor. This dish is proof if it were needed that iconic flagship dishes need not contain expensive or rare ingredients, and that in some cases the taste relies simply on the quality of the ingredients and the manner in which they are prepared.

In simple terms, caldero consists of rice cooked in a broth made using fish and the “ñora” peppers which are such a common feature of Murcia’s cuisine, and is perfect for replenishing the batteries after a hard morning on the beach or out at sea. It is usually served on two plates, one for the rice and the other for the fish, which is separated from the broth, both accompanied by garlic mayonnaise.

The dish has its roots in the practices of local fishermen in the past, when they were determined to make the most of the whole of their catch. The less valuable fish would be separated out to create food for themselves and their families, along with peppers, parsley and tomato, but over time this “secondary” dish gained favour among other locals and visitors to the area.

It may be simple, but the best caldero takes 90 minutes to prepare, after which 15 minutes’ cooking time are needed, followed by just two minutes to let the rice settle.