Lamb, sea bream, barnacles, capons and pulardas, Iberian ham, smoked salmon, eels, prawns… To a greater or lesser extent, some of these products are part of the shopping lists of many Spaniards for Christmas. Even without knowing what kind of parties we will find in December (and if we will be able to meet easily or not), thinking in advance is a good way to avoid last-minute surprises.
On other occasions we have talked to you about the advantages of freezing, whether it is meat, fish or shellfish -and even vegetables or preserving mushrooms-, even more so when we are approaching an uncertain date and we do not want to give up saving some money.
Something that this year seems more important than ever due to this dance of amounts and dates. We know that fresh produce is easier to handle and we gives more organoleptic guarantees than frozen, but it also tends to fluctuate in the weeks leading up to the festivities, which is why there is no lamb, sea bream, viceroy or prawn that is not more expensive on the morning of December 23 than on December 14.
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We approach the Mercado de las Maravillas, in the Madrid district of Tetuán, one of the most populous and varied in the capital to test prices 20 days after Christmas.
fresh meats
With runaway inflationthere are many meat products that have been presenting prices that are much higher than what we would expect to find at this time of the year for months.
This also means that we think about other meat alternatives for our more affordable Christmas dinners, such as pork tenderloins or beef rounds. If even so we go through the hoop of the most noble cuts, Let’s be clear that they are going to be more expensive than in 2021.
Lambs and kids
Shoulders, legs and chops are some of the most common options for lamb and kid at these parties. The only recommendation to try to save if we go to suckling pigs is advise you to buy them in quarters, half or wholebecause it will be a more affordable total price.
Still, we’ve seen quite a bit of price disparity between some stalls. We have found the suckling pig shoulder at 21 euros per kilo but we have also come to see it at 28 euros per kilo and we have even come close to 35 euros per kilo in some places. The leg will always be cheaperjust as we can try to find recental (somewhat thicker, but more affordable) and also price differences between the chops that usually fluctuate between 20 and 25 euros per kilo.
piglets
Although the price of the suckling pig is quite high in proportion to previous years in the Segovia fish marketOne of the most reliable barometers for checking the wholesale market in this country, what we’ve seen of piglets in between are whole wonders on the market still make it relatively affordable.
Between 20 and 25 euros per kilo, which is not too expensive for suckling pig at this time of the year, so we are still in a good moment to try buy suckling pig relatively cheaply if we want to freeze it for Christmas.
Bovine
Although with the world of beef can never be singled out because it depends a lot on the type of animal that we are being served, if it is true that certain cuts such as loin, loin, entrecote or sirloin already have quite high prices. In any case, we have come to find sirloins that are already at 40 euros per kilo, but we have also seen prices that do not exceed 25 or 30 euros.
In any case, beef prices tend to fluctuate considerably less than other much more seasonal products such as lambs and suckling pigs, so Let’s not expect big discounts or too high fluctuations at the last minute.
Poularde, capon, turkey, duck and chicken
Although the price of poultry has risen gradually throughout the year, especially the most common ones such as chicken, turkey and hen, Christmas also It represents a small increase in cost for some of these products.
In this case, what we have seen is in acceptable ranges between 10 and 20 euros per kilo (again it depends a lot on the type of product), so we cannot generalize either. In any case, it is better to buy these types of birds that usually work with a reserve or at least signal them well in advance.
Fish
With the world of fish it is difficult to get it right because generally, if we buy the fish very soon, we will not see canutas to freeze the fish at home if it is large. And yet, if we get closer to the Christmas dates, it is quite possible that its price has skyrocketed.
Sea bream
The sea bream movie has changed a lot in this 2022, in fact our search for the market of wonders, despite finding many fishmongers, the presence of sea bream has been minimal. We have only found specimens in a fish market and they were one quite affordable price of 19.99 euros per kilo, but they were also specimens of relatively small holding sizes.
Seabass, bream and hake
Different are the films of sea bass and sea bream when they come from aquaculture or when they come from extractive fishing. In the case of the former, it is very common that we do not go to see them for above €18 or €19, but in the case of the second, it is quite possible that we see prices ranging from 25 to 35 euros easily, especially in larger specimens.
Hake, on the other hand, presents some fairly affordable prices between 15 and 20 euros per kilo at this time of the month. In any case, we recommend that we not rest on our laurels when buying fish for Christmas because we are going to face additional costs that can exceed 100% of the value of the product.
Viceroy, urta, turbot and monkfish
The price of different very popular Christmas fish that are going to go in the oven, such as viceroy, theft, turbot or monkfish, also changes a lot. In the case of turbot, very common in aquaculture, we are going to Find prices on medium copies that do not exceed 20 euros. In the case of wild ones, when we already find turbot weighing more than three kilos, we will surely see the prices more often above 35 euros per kilo.
Both the viceroy and the urta always end up rising in the final week of Christmas, which is why we recommend buying and freezing ahead of time. In any case, they are fish that are already expensive, where we have already found the viceroy for more than 60 euros per kilo. However, in Christmas week surely We are going to see them around 80 euros per kilo.
Seafood
Seafood is another of the products that becomes more expensive in the last weeks of Christmas, but if we are going to buy cooked or frozen ones, we can save a lot of money. In any case, let us be clear that any fresh seafood at the last minute will have practically unattainable prices.
decapod crustaceans
Here we have to put into the equation some of the great protagonists of Christmas as the red prawn, the white prawn, the prawn, the carabinero or the langoustines. It is clear that there are products that are already going to be expensive at any time of the year, but this Christmas they are going to become even crazier.
We have seen prices that fluctuate in red shrimp from 60 euros per kilo to 100 euros per kilo, and also similar amounts in fresh shrimp from Huelva or in the typical striped prawns from Sanlúcar. In addition, the carabineros are also at already really high prices exceeding €90 per kilo in the smallest specimens. Lobsters and lobsters are also quite expensive. Although it is cheaper to find imported lobster than It is usually around 40 euros per kilo.
molluscs
Clams, mussels, oysters, clams, razor clams… The shellfish recital that sneaks into our Christmas is also those prices are quite high at this time of the year they are also high. In this case, the recommendation is to buy them at the last minute, since live shellfish should not be frozen, at least not clams and oysters, as they lose much of their charm.
In any case, it will be the clams and oysters that are present at the most expensive prices in the markets. The The first ones already exceed 35 euros quite easilywhile the latter do not usually go below 40 euros when they come from Spanish nurseries.
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crabs
At a good price for the type of product it is, still we find the Galician spider crab that is about 40 euros per kilo. In any case, the cheapest options in terms of crustaceans will always be if we buy them already cooked.
The live crab is also relatively expensive, exceeding 35 euros per kilo, and it also happens to us if we throw ourselves into the arms of the live crab. Although anyway, crabs are always the most affordable Christmas crab.
The best Christmas recipes
in DAP we love these parties and we have thousands of recipes for you to be sure of your Christmas meals.
Do not miss our special with the 215 best Christmas recipes and 16 special menus. and if you need ideas for specific dishesHere’s a good starting point:
- canapes recipes
- Recipes for appetizers and entrees
- salad recipes
- fish recipes
- meat recipes
- Side dish recipes
- Desserts recipes
- Traditional Christmas sweet recipes
- Christmas Cookie Recipes
- cocktail recipes
Images | Market of Wonders / iStock
In DAP | Tricks for cooking the best grilled prawns and prawns: golden on the outside and very juicy on the inside
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The news
What to buy now (and what not) to save at Christmas 2022: lamb, prawns, sirloin, pularda, sea bream…
was originally posted on
Direct to the Palate
by Jaime de las Heras.