New🇪🇸Ibiza, Spain
The Bullit de Peix Pilgrimage
A two-course meal from one pot: first, fish and potatoes bathed in aioli; then, rice cooked slowly in the leftover broth. Born on fishing boats, now Ibiza's most celebrated dish.
Why this dish?
Bullit de peix - "boiled fish" in Catalan, though that undersells it wildly - is Ibiza's signature dish and a piece of edible history. Fishermen used to throw the unsold catch of the day into a clay pot with potatoes, garlic, tomato, saffron and whatever herbs were to hand, boiling it all up on the boat. The fish and potatoes are served first with a spoonful of aioli, and then the leftover broth is used to cook an arroz a banda (a dry, flavourful rice) served as a second course. Two dishes from one pot, both from the sea.
Ibiza's food reputation has been drowned out by its nightlife, which is a shame - the island has a serious culinary tradition rooted in the sea and the land. The best bullit de peix is eaten at rustic seaside restaurants where the fish came in that morning, the rice is cooked to order, and the view is of the same water the catch came from. It's the opposite of a club: slow, quiet and deeply satisfying. Fly in, eat a two-course fisherman's lunch, walk it off on a quiet cove, and show people that Ibiza has more to offer than a DJ set.
Our Picks
Es Boldado
- Address
- Cala d'Hort, Ibiza
- What to order
- Bullit de peix (for two), with aioli on the side and a cold local white wine.
- Book ahead
- Yes - it's popular and the setting is spectacular; book ahead, especially in summer.
- Pro tip
- The meal comes in two courses - pace yourself on the fish and potatoes, because the rice that follows is the star.
Can Caus
Inland from San Jose, Ibiza
A family-run farmhouse restaurant inland from San Jose, serving traditional Ibizan cooking - rustic, generous, deeply Ibizan.
- What to order
- Bullit de peix or sofrit pages (a hearty meat-and-potato stew), with sobrasada and local bread to start.
Good to know
Bullit de peix is always for two or more - it's a sharing dish, not a solo plate. It's served in two courses (fish first, rice second) - that's the ritual, not two separate orders. The aioli is essential. Ibiza town (Eivissa) is 10 minutes from the airport; the best bullit spots are around the coast but reachable by taxi. The old town (Dalt Vila) is a UNESCO-listed walled fortress worth the walk up. Off-season (spring, autumn) is the sweet spot for food pilgrims - fewer crowds, same kitchens.
Your day plan
Wheels up to eating the dish.
Outbound Flight goals - what you're aiming for
- 07:00Depart London Stansted
- 10:20Land Ibiza
- 10:50Taxi to the coast (or Ibiza old town first)
- 11:30Walk up through Dalt Vila - the walled old town
- 13:00Bullit de peix lunch at Es Boldado (booked ahead)
- 15:00A quiet cove - Cala d'Hort, Cala Conta or Cala Salada
- 16:30Back into Ibiza town for a drink at the port
