I have developed an I have developed an adult shellfish allergy, which, in the past, made it difficult to eat in southern France and Italy. In Venice, for example, I ate lamb and chicken while surrounded by wonderful shellfish- I even avoided regular fish! When you are allergic to one type of shellfish, you cannot eat any at all- there can be some sort of crossover allergic reaction. So, in my case, I test positive for crab, but cannot eat shrimp, squid, clams, mussels, lobster, scallops, etc. My husband, who speaks a little Spanish, is trying to get vocabulary for use in restaurants when we travel to Spain in November. I'd love to be able to eat all that wonderful fish in Andalucia, even if I cannot eat the shellfish. My concern is that kitchens will use shellfish stocks or oil in the preparation of regular fish or soups or other dishes. Does anyone know how to ask politely about these concerns? Also, can one ask for paella without shellfish- does it even exist? Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks, Margret

Wow. That is a TRUE SHAM, justretired. That would make me nuts after all the delicious shellfish I've consumed in Galicia, Basque Country, and in Madrid.

I'm not too sure about the paella because I believe it's made beforehand, made for the day or throughout the day and in large quantities for anyone who orders it. I don't know if they make it individually but I may be wrong. Might be safest to stay away from all seafood altogether. What a shame.

Can anyone give justretired some advice to help her still enjoy fish without worrying about "shellfish-cross-contamination"?

Good luck to you. I hope you'll enjoy your time in Spain.

Saludos, MadridMan

O, no MM!

You NEVER do a paella beforehand. At least a good paella. That's why when you ask for a paella you have to wait for about half an hour, unless it is in the Menú del día, and so, you dont have to wait because they have freshly made paella all the time at lunch hour. You may have come to this conclusion because you probably had most times the one in the Menú (as I do).

A paella is usually made for at least two persons, unless in the Menú del día.

There are several kinds of paellas, the original one being (although this is not well known) the valencian one made of vegetables, rabbit (when avaliable) and chicken. Many times rabbit is substitued by other meats.

The most common (and the ones I like most) are fish and shellfish paellas, but I like the traditional one a lot. You can ask for a fish paella because I think I heard that several times, specially if you go to a "paella only" restaurant, because they have all kind of paellas, like vegetarian paella (sometimes) - only vegetables and rice, arroz a banda (with shellfish, so that's not for you), arroz negro, and many others, and several ones don't have fish.

And if you don't find them interesting, in a specialized place you can always ask for a fish only paella, explaining your allergy to make sure they don't put the fish and the shellfish by error, and then separate them or that they don't use possible mixes fish/shellfish they may have prepared to go faster, just separating the shellfish.

Anyway, I wouldn't try this before trying the original one. maybe you'll like it more.

Ask for "una paella sólo de pescado" and add "soy alérgica al marisco".