A Taste of Spain in New Jersey

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these posts.

We recently took some friends of my daughter-in-law out for a taste of the local area. What many people do not know about Newark, NJ is that there is a rather robust Portuguese community here. They celebrate it each year (although recent observances have been scuttled by the pandemic). For more about ‘Portugal Day’ click here for a post from a few years ago. So..when people have come into town, we have on occasion treated them to a local spot called Fornos of Spain.

We went on a Sunday evening. Among our favorite things is what comes before the meal: an assortment of breads and the Spanish olives.

Fornos’ Paella Marinera was one of the meal selections (and one of many paella varieties — with or without protein). This is as good as it looks.

Paella Marinera: lobster, clams, mussels, scallops, calamari, soffits rice

Others of us went our separate ways on the menu. A simple-yet-elegant crab cake dish was one choice.

Crab Cakes: crab meat, green and white onions, mayo, red peppers, mustard

Still another was the stuffed salmon.

Stuffed Salmon: chopped shrimp,scallops, crab meat, Brandi lobster sauce

Fornos of Spain has never disappointed as a place to go for a good, stick-to-your-ribs dinner. The meal itself is always accompanied by plates of Spanish rice, cooked string beans (still with some snap to them) and house-made potato chips.

Did I mention sangria?

If you ever find your way into Newark, NJ via New Jersey Transit, Fornos is just a few steps away from Newark Penn Station. Just head out of the rear of the train hall and over to Ferry Street. It’s just a couple of blocks up. I will be honest…the meals are pricey…but more than worth it.