Holiday itinerary
Set in grounds with olive and fruit trees, vegetable and herb garden, this charming and tastefully restored 150 year old Finca is the setting for your shellfish and fish cookery course. Andalucia has 5 coastal provinces alone, so it is not surprising that fish is a real speciality of this area.
Many people are nervous about cooking fish or shellfish dishes. This course will give you the confidence and skills to create a wonderful selection of dishes using a wide variety of the freshest fish and shellfish Spain has to offer.
Chef Clive has been a professional Chef specialising in the Mediterranean cuisine for over 20 years. He will teach you pick the best fresh fish and shellfish, will demonstrate step by step how to prepare, fillet, bone and cook the fish to perfection, you will then put your new skills to the test yourself.
The laid-back style, sense of humour and relaxed atmosphere will help learn all the secrets and techniques to cooking fish dishes.
Enjoy a fish cooking course in the heart of Andalucia, gaining confidence and satisfaction with every dish you create, inspire your imagination and immerse yourself in Andalucían life, getting off the tourist trail in this beautiful area of Spain.
Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from those who've never cooked with fish to seafood enthusiasts
- Your hosts are British/Japanese so all cooking classes are taught in English (or Japanese if required)
Travelling Solo?
- Please note that if you are travelling solo, you must book a twin/double room with en-suite bathroom for sole occupancy by adding a compulsory single supplement onto your booking during the booking process
Fish Cookery Course Start Days
- You may arrive any day you choose as cooking lessons can take place 7 days a week
- You will stay in the Finca for 3 nights / 4 days
Shellfish And Fish Cooking Course Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival and welcome dinner
- You may check-in to the Finca anytime after 3pm
- Enjoy welcome drinks on arrival and take the rest of the afternoon to relax and explore the area
- In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner with wine at the Finca
Day 2 and 3 – Cooking lesson
- Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and the day to relax
- You may want to spend your time by the pool or why not take a stroll around the charming whitewashed lakeside village of Iznájar, perched on the rocky outcrop, where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the Lake of Andalucían
- Later in the day starting around 5.30pm, you’ll take your cooking lessons where you’ll learn to make a variety of shellfish and fish dishes as well as technical skills and chef’s secrets to inspire you to cook more fish dishes once back home
- Once you’ve cooked, you’ll sit down to enjoy a dinner of the delicious seafood dishes you have learned to cook that day accompanied by a glass or two of wine perfectly matched to your fish
Day 4 - Departure
- After breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms ready for departure taking home with them new fish and shellfish cooking skills and an insight into Andalucían life that will stay with them long after the holiday is over
What Will I Learn?
- This is a completely hands-on course, you’ll be preparing the dishes from scratch and working with Chef Clive to get the most out of your fish and shellfish cookery lessons
- From the complete beginners to keen amateurs who just adore seafood will get the hands on experience with a professional chef to learn the basic, solid skills that will lead to many a successful preparation of seafood dishes
- You’ll gain an insight into the history of Andalucían cuisine and the importance of fish and seafood
- You will cover many aspects of cooking with fish and look at the best equipment for the job
- Learn how to select the freshest fish and shellfish
- You’ll learn how to clean fish and shellfish before preparation
- Gain the technical skills to scale, gut and fillet a fish to professional standards
- Learn what to do with the head, fish bones and skin
- How to cook a wide variety of fish and shellfish dishes using different methods such as baking, pan frying, grilling, poaching and more all with an Andalucían twist
- Learn food presentation skills to restaurant standards
Sample Fish And Shellfish Menu
- Remojón con vinagre de sésamo (Salt cod and orange salad with sesame dressing)
- Shellfish soup with sherry
- Prawns in chocolate sauce
- Clams in Sherry
- Monkfish with preserved lemons
- Hake with almond garlic mayonnaise with fresh tomato salsa
- Fish croquettes
- Lubina al sal con salsa de pimientos rojos y aceite de oliva (Salt roast seabass with charred sweet red pepper and olive oil salsa)
- Escabeche de caballa con jengibre(Soused mackerel with ginger)
- Asado de rape con habas, chorizo y almejas (Roast monkfish tail with baby broad beans, chorizo and clams)
- Pescado en amarillo (Grilled halibut in saffron sauce)
- Lubina al moro (Seabass with Moorish spices)
- Dorada con salsa de tomate y pimienta verde (Baked bream with tomato and greenpepper corn sauce)
Accommodation At The Spanish Finca
- Your 150 year old Finca has just 4 rooms: 3 standard twin/double rooms and 1 suite (to book the suite, please add this extra on during the booking process) and is situated in Iznájar, a small hilltop Moorish village overlooking a romantic lake lies in Parque Natural de las Sierras Subbéticas in the southern part of the province of Córdoba
- Tastefully restored to retain the rustic charm, your standard room has twin beds or a double bed, private bathroom and a delightful view
- All prices are based on two persons sharing the twin/double standard rooms with private bathrooms; singles will have to book these rooms for sole occupancy and a compulsory supplement must be added during the booking process as sharing as a solo traveller is not possible on this holiday
- The Finca features a swimming pool, reading room, DVD library and more
- Wi-fi is available although the reception is not very good due to the rural location
- Your hosts have two dogs and a cat, but they are never allowed in the Finca
Car Hire
- To make the most out of your fish cookery holiday we strongly recommend that you hire a car for your time in Andalucía
- Please advise us if you are not planning on doing so as other arrangements have to be made as there are few taxis locally and the local town is not within walking distance which is why we strongly recommend car hire for all guests to get the most out of their holiday
- However, if you choose not to and require transport from the airport to the Finca, the school may be able to provide you with a transfer for an extra fee (approximately €100 each way); please email your requirements to
Put memories of 70’s frozen prawn cocktails to the back of your mind on this wonderful fish cookery course. Expand your seafood repertoire to something altogether more impressive and bring home new skills that will stay with you longer after the cookery holiday is over.