Refreshing Malaga and Costa del Sol dishes to beat the heat of summer

The rich and varied culinary delights from Malaga and the wider province are clearly evident with the arrival of summer and the heat. Once the season for hotpots and stews is over, gazpacho, salads and other light dishes invade the tables of Malaga's homes. The season for 'espetos' (skewered, chargrilled food) in beach bars, porra (thick, chilled tomato soup) and pipirrana (diced, raw salad) in bars and restaurants, in each and every home, has begun.

These dishes are closely linked to popular cuisine. Malaga historian Fernando Rueda, an expert on Malaga's culinary heritage, acknowledges that they are almost always "the result of hardship, scarcity and hunger." In his book 'La cocina popular de Málaga' (Malaga's popular cuisine), he argues that traditional food "is a popular art, just like handicrafts or the techniques used in traditional work." He concludes that "necessity is possibly the cook who has contributed the most dishes to the culinary curriculum of ordinary people."

These are just some of the most popular and refreshing dishes to try this summer season.

This is one of the most traditional dishes in Malaga's cuisine. It is a traditional recipe although it is full of modernity as it makes use of a fruit as an important ingredient. This cod salad with orange first appeared in 1931 in the book 'La cocina original española' by chef José Gómez González, although its origins date back to Arab times.

Mix one kilo of boiled potatoes cut into medium-sized pieces with 300 grams of desalted and flaked cod, five oranges cut into pieces (traditionally, sour or cachoreñas oranges were used) and a spring onion cut into small pieces. To serve, put all the ingredients in a salad bowl and add pitted, seasoned olives, olive oil and salt.

The ensaladilla malagueña can be found on the menus of numerous restaurants in Malaga city and is usually made following the traditional method. It can be sampled in El Pimpi, Mesón Mariano or Gutiérrez Puerto, among others.

It is one of the oldest chilled soup dishes in Spain, as similar recipes appear in Roman cuisine (where a mixture of bread soaked in vinegar and almonds is mentioned). It is a humble and nutritious dish that served as sustenance for the men working out in the fields all day during the grape harvest. It is closely associated with the Axarquía area and in towns such as Almáchar, where a festival is held to celebrate its worth.

To make it, you need 150 grams of dry breadcrumbs, preferably from the day before, half a litre of cold water, 100 grams of raw almonds, a clove of garlic and two spoonfuls of vinegar. In a glass blender, pulse all the ingredients until a very fine soup is formed and finish by emulsifying the mixture with 100 grams of olive oil. Add a final touch of salt to taste and enjoy. It is customary to add a few sliced grapes or, in their absence, small chunks of melon.

This cold soup can be enjoyed in lots of restaurants in inland Malaga and, preferably, throughout the Axarquía area. Some of the most notable are Bar López in Almáchar, El Refectorium and El Pimpi in Malaga city. Recently, several gourmet restaurants have started making it with a whole series of innovations, such as the one prepared by Araboka with Malaga ice cream.

Fernando Rueda believes this dish to be one of the "superb and magnificent trio of salads" offered by the Costa del Sol, together with the ensaladilla malagueña and the simple roast pepper salad. It is a dish associated with seafaring, which was prepared with those fish (or parts of them) that had no commercial value, usually hake. An alternative was to prepare it with sun-dried or boiled octopus, which was also considered of little value in bygone times.

Chop up half a kilo of tomatoes, two peppers and half an onion into very small pieces. Season with salt and olive oil and place the sliced roe on top, (previously cooked in salted water). A few prawns or pieces of cooked octopus are also very good options.

Being a dish so closely linked to the sea, it is often found in beach bars as a starter (it is also known as huevas aliñás). El Tintero and El Navío, both in Malaga city, are two ideal places to try the dish.

A variety of thick gazpacho, typical of the towns and villages around Antequera, named after the utensil, the pestle, used to make it in the mortar (the heavy bowl used for grinding). It is a fresh and highly nutritious dish with clear Moorish origins in the use and shape of the ingredients. It was originally prepared without tomato, an ingredient that was added after the conquest of the Americas.

Whisk together a kilo of ripe red tomatoes, half a green pepper, a quarter red pepper, two cloves of garlic and half a kilo of stale, pre-soaked bread. Once you have a smooth paste, add a quarter of extra virgin olive oil very slowly to emulsify the dish. It is usually served garnished with quartered, hard-boiled eggs and tiny pieces of Serrano ham.

It is one of the most popular dishes in many restaurants in Malaga province. In Antequera, for example, you should try it in Baraka or Arte de Cozina. In Malaga city it is worth trying the one made at El Pimpi or the one served up at El Refectorium.

Undoubtedly one of Malaga's summer classics. Its simple name evokes images of chiringuitos (beach bars), espetos (skewers) and conchas finas (Malaga clams). Any of these dishes could undoubtedly be on this list. 'Ensalá de pimientos asaos', as it should be ordered, was a common dish in vineyards, where they were roasted with vine shoots. For decades it was a delicacy that was mixed with a frypan full of whitebait after being removed from the fire (now banned).

Roast two red and two green peppers together with one or two very red, ripe tomatoes - the latter as you prefer them. Once roasted, place them in a bowl and cover them so that they release their juices before peeling them. Place them in a dish cut into strips with the diced tomato and add some vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and finish off with a sliced onion.

In each and every one of the chiringuitos peppered along the Costa del Sol, from Manilva to Nerja.