Catch of the day: Peix Vermell

**** Sadly, Peix Vermell does not exist any more. ****

To be true – I’ve been cheating on marine life for many years, now. From „Find Nemo“ we know that fish are friends, not food. However, as an enthusiastic scuba diver I never had a problem admiring the fascinating neighborhood of our house reef in the morning and having fresh sashimi for dinner. If it comes to fish on my plate, one of my favorite restaurants in Palma is Peix Vermell.

Meeting with friends from southern France recently I decided that this were the place to go for dinner. There’s a wonderful choice of the freshest Mediterranean seafood – grilled octopus, shrimps from Sóller, mussels and clams, turbot, sole or hake, to name but a few. They are done al horno, from the oven, or from the grill, often seasoned a typical Mallorqui style. I always love the lubina a la sal (seabass in salt crust), big enough to feed two hungry guests. The fish was served in an impressive thick crust of baked salt and filleted by one of the super-friendly waiters. It comes with carefully spiced melted butter, and we chose spinach and home-made fries as side-orders. What a feast!

Peix Vermell opened up about three years ago on splendid Carrer San Feliu, and general manager Misha Petrov and his team have been doing a great job ever since making their guests feel at home. There are two faces to the restaurant, each with its own entrance. I love the bright room with the high vaulted lime-stone ceiling, just now featuring some of Santi Verzi’s mysterious fish pictures. But the second room with its traditional dark beams and the fancy underwater video is just as beautiful. And they both share a wonderful relaxed atmosphere. Will be back soon.