You walk into a restaurant in Barcelona and, right as you step in, you spot a counter covered in crushed ice. Freshly shucked oysters, loins of red tuna, someone behind it slicing fish by hand. This is no ordinary display. It’s a raw bar, and the moment you see it you know dinner is going to be something else.
Raw bars are catching on in Barcelona, yet many people arrive without a clear idea of what one is or what to order. At Eldelmar we have our own raw seafood counter, because great produce needs little cooking. Here we tell you what it is, what to order your first time and how to enjoy it without any fuss.
A raw bar is a counter where shellfish and fish are shucked and served raw on the spot. “Raw” says it all: seafood that reaches your plate with barely a dressing, never touched by fire.
Not everything is strictly raw. On a good counter, freshly shucked oysters sit alongside a hand-cut tartare, a ceviche cured in citrus or a plate of marinated prawns. What ties them together is the cold: everything is served over ice, so the produce keeps its texture and its original flavour.
The concept goes back a long way. The Greeks ate oysters at their banquets, and in eighteenth-century London the first venues devoted solely to raw produce opened their doors. Today you’ll find raw bars in Barcelona, New York or Mexico City, each with the catch of its own coast. In the Mediterranean, that means tuna, prawn, oyster and cod treated with respect.
In the end, the beauty of a raw bar is tasting the sea just as it is. No sauces to mask it, no cooking to disguise it. Just the day’s catch, ice and a good dressing.
First time at a raw bar? Start with the oysters. A Spéciale de Claire with its dressing of tomato water and piparra pepper is a gentle bite, with just the right salinity to understand what this is all about without overwhelming you. Order two and go back for more if they win you over.
If you’re after bold flavours, head straight for the raw tuna belly. The dressing of shallot, ginger and toasted almond, with its spicy kick, is the kind that leaves a mark. And if you want something fine and elegant, the prawn carpaccio with squid ink delivers.
Coming with more of an appetite, or after something with body? The Galician beef steak tartare, aged 60 days, holds its own against any raw seafood and balances out a meal at the counter.
To share as a couple or in a group, spread it out: a few oysters to open, a couple of raw plates in the middle and, for a special occasion, the Imperial Gold caviar with its brioche. That’s when the counter turns into a celebration.
One last note: the pairing. Raw seafood calls for fresh drinks with bubbles or acidity. A cava, a lively white or a dry sake cleanse the palate between bites and lift the salinity of the produce. Ask at the counter: whoever’s shucking the oysters usually knows which glass goes best with them.
Now that you know what a raw bar is and what to order, all that’s left is to sit down at one. At Eldelmar you’ll find our raw seafood counter in Barcelona, with the produce on show and someone in front of you shucking and slicing it for you.
We work with the day’s catch. Nothing carries more dressing than it needs, because when the raw material is this good, cooking becomes unnecessary. That’s the whole philosophy of the counter.
And if it’s your first time, let yourself be guided. Ask without hesitation. From “I don’t know where to start” to “give me another” takes just one bite.
We’ll be waiting for you at the counter. Book your table at Eldelmar and discover raw seafood the way it’s meant to be tasted: fresh, well handled and unhurried. Come and enjoy the best raw bar in Barcelona.
