A Contest for the Best Tapa

What luck to arrive to the town of Fonsegrada in Asturias the week they were having a contest to decide which establishment had created the best tapa.  The celebration was a week long event and the bars were full of locals, tourists and also pilgrims who naturally have huge appetites.
There were 18 different bars and restaurants serving their special tapa at a cost of 1.50 Euro.  After collecting at least 10 stamps you were allowed to vote for your favorite tapa.  Sadly...I could only make my way through 6 tapas before I needed to sleep more than I needed to eat.  One of the pilgrims, a woman from California, decided to stay a second night in Fonsegrada just so she could try more of these delicious morsels.
Without further adieu.....here is the parade of the ones I tried.

There is a lot happening in this tapa!! Green cannelloni that is stuffed with savory mashed potato on the bottom and skinny fried potatoes on the top, some dressed greens, toast, a tomato stuffed with a pepper that is stuffed with a spicy lamb mixture and finally in front, a small pile of caramelized onions.

This was very interesting....a toast covered in a sweet fruit conserve topped with cecina, a smoked cured beef, then accompanied by a dish of fruity and cheesy ice cream and nuts!

This one was amazing...we tried to order a second round but were told they were out.
On the base is a fillet of fish...I think 'merluza', surrounded by various shellfish; shrimp, cockles and a mussel and topped by that giant shrimp or maybe it is a small lobster.  The sauce was sweet and spicy.

A little plain in comparison but full of flavor.  Creamy seafood salad on fresh butter lettuce with roasted red pepper, an olive and balsamic glaze.

This was a pastry resembling the conch shell topped with a spicy meat stew and red pepper.  On the left are some thin crispy fried potatoes and cheese and of course, the yellow arrow in mustard.  I think they were hoping to get the pilgrim votes.

And....if I could have voted it would be for this one.  It may look a little plain but the flavor was outstanding.  The meat is called 'carrillada' and it comes from the cheek of the pig.  I have had this dish before as a main course and it is wonderful!  It is sitting on top of some fried potatoes and drenched in the sauce tha it is simmered in...usually tomatoes and wine.

Check out this link for a little more detail on this delicacy.

http://madridfoodtour.com/what-is-carrillada-beef-cheeks-pork-cheek/

Well I hope you enjoyed the tapa tour....I certainly did!!