Visiting Cadiz for carnival? Lucky you! Here’s what to eat at carnival in Cadiz. My top three favorites!

On a normal day, Cadiz is a small beach town on the Atlantic coast of southern Spain in Andalusia. But show up four weeks before Easter, and you‘ll be treated to the most spectacular two week carnival in Spain. A lively festival with daily parades, music, fireworks, drag queens, dancing, costumes, and most importantly, traditional foods. So what should you eat at carnival in Cadiz?

What to Eat at Carnival in Cadiz

Tortillitas de Camarones

Tortillitas de Camarones are the first item you must eat at carnival in Cadiz.

Made with the smallest of shrimp, complete with eyes, shells, and legs. The baby shrimp are mixed into a chickpea and wheat flour batter. Next, they are pan fried in a hefty amount of olive oil, and lastly, served on the street in paper cones. Guilty to say, I did not try the tortillitas on the street. I had them the day prior in a tapas bar. Needless to say, the lines were lengthy, the aroma filled the air, and nothing but happy faces were strolling away from the stands in Plaza del Mercado.

Shellfish on the streets of Cadiz

The amazing and never ending shellfish are tradition 2 for what to eat at Carnival in Cadiz.

Growing up in Rhode Island, I have been eating shellfish my whole life. I am willing to try pretty much everything. If you want to try a new shellfish, Cadiz is the place to come. The streets are lined with folding tables and wooden palates. Men surround their stands shucking oysters, hammering king crab legs, peeling shrimp, and cracking open sea urchins.

In the United States, shellfish like this is saved for a special occasion. Plus, have a significant price tag. In Cadiz, they were cheap! They serve the baby shrimp in paper cones for €1, a plastic plate of oysters for as low as €5, a plate of sea urchins for €6, and a 1/4 kilo of crab legs in a bag for €7.

Although I don’t recommend the sea urchin, a flavor that my friend Stacy and I like to describe as low tide pudding, cleverly coined in Madrid’s El Mercado de San Miguel, the crab legs and oysters were amazing. Choose your vendor wisely, squeeze a touch of lemon and enjoy!

Sea urchin, oysters and other seafood on a wooden table

Me posing with a crab leg on the streets in Cadiz with a festive mask

Manzanilla at Carnival in Cadiz

The third regional tradition is manzanilla. Once you’ve had your fill of tortillitas and snacks from the raw bar, you need a drink, of course. The locals sip on Manzanilla at this festival from small plastic Champagne flutes like it’s water.

The Spanish make manzanilla wine only in the Cadiz region. It’s called manzanilla because the flavor is similar to that of chamomile tea. Chamomile is also called manzanilla in Spanish. On inspection, the Manzanilla smells apple-like and sweet. But after the first sip, your tastebuds will tell you otherwise. It is a very dry fino sherry wine with almost a bitter salty bite to it.

I did not enjoy my first sip. However, along side a salty jamón serrano sandwich, I can see how this flavor could be appealing. If you are like me and don’t like sherry, I recommend mixing the Manzanilla with a soda. This turns it into a drink locals call, Rebujito. Or, just go for a Cruzcampo. In Cadiz you can find Cruzcampo at every bar and restaurant in bottles and on tap.