Bogavante
European lobster. Larger and sweeter than langosta (spiny lobster), used in Spanish rice dishes, paellas and grilled at high-end seafood restaurants.
Bogavante is the European lobster (Homarus gammarus): the big blue-shelled clawed lobster found across the Atlantic coast of Spain, especially Galicia and the Cantabrian sea. Caught wild or farmed in tanks, sold live by the kilo, and considered a higher-end seafood. The meat is sweeter and the texture is firmer than the closely related American lobster, with the claws and tail being the most prized cuts. Spanish kitchens use bogavante in arroz con bogavante (lobster rice, a paella-style dish that's become a signature of the coastal Catalan and Galician restaurant scene), grilled on the plancha, or sliced raw as carpaccio. Different from langosta (spiny lobster), which has no claws and a different texture.
How it's served
Most often as the centrepiece of an arroz con bogavante: the lobster is split and lightly seared, the meat stays in the shell, and a rice cooks in lobster-shell stock around it. Also grilled on the plancha (with garlic and parsley butter), as carpaccio, or boiled and served with mayonnaise. High-end and expensive.
Regional variation
Catalan and Valencian arroz con bogavante is the most popular preparation in restaurant cooking. Galician restaurants often serve it grilled on the plancha or boiled simply, letting the meat speak for itself. The Mediterranean bogavante is sometimes blue, sometimes dark green; both are the same species.
- Origin
- Atlantic Spain (Galician and Cantabrian coast)
- Etymology
- From the Old French homart, in turn from Old Norse humarr; cognate with English 'lobster' and 'Homarus.'
Where to try it in Barcelona
2 restaurants on Guidavera mention bogavante in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is bogavante?
The European lobster (Homarus gammarus): the big blue-shelled clawed lobster found along the Atlantic coast of Spain, especially in Galicia and the Cantabrian sea. Sweeter and firmer-textured than the closely related American lobster. Used in Spanish rice dishes, grilled on the plancha, or as carpaccio.
What's the difference between bogavante and langosta?
Different species. Bogavante is the clawed European lobster (Homarus gammarus); langosta is the clawless spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas). Bogavante has the big claws and a slightly different sweetness; langosta has no claws but firmer tail meat. Both are high-end Spanish seafood; bogavante is more common in restaurant rice dishes.
What's arroz con bogavante?
A paella-style rice dish built around lobster: bogavante split lengthwise and lightly seared, then nested into a wide flat pan where rice cooks in stock made from the lobster shells. Served straight from the pan, with the lobster halves on top. A coastal Catalan and Valencian classic, and one of the most-ordered high-end rice dishes in Barcelona.
Related terms
- PaellaValencian rice dish cooked in a wide flat pan over fire. The original is chicken, rabbit, snails and beans, not seafood.
- Gamba rojaThe deep-red Mediterranean prawn from the Catalan and Valencian coast. One of the most prized seafood ingredients in Spain, eaten grilled or raw.
- A la planchaCooked on a flat-top metal griddle. Fast, hot, no oil pooling. Standard for prawns, fish fillets and squid.