Spanish supermarket must-tries?

[desperatedaysareover]

Heading to Spain self-catering this week - been once before but did no cooking. HMU with your recommendations for brands/food to try while we're there and also foodie souvenirs! Particularly into fish and pickles.

Thank you!

Not food but I completely recommend the make up in mercadona supermarket. It's excellent and very cheap. Pretty much all food in mercadona is really good quality. The fish counters in store are amazing quality and price too if you're happy cooking your own.

Do you drink wine? There’s €2 wine in Mercadona called Pescato or something. It has a turquoise label. It’s unreal! Especially since you said you eat fish, it’s a perfect wine for that. And it’s €2!!

Buy saffron and the bags of Spanish wild herbs.

My absolute favourite thing which I always buy to bring home is flavoured balsamic vinegar. This comes in lots of flavours , my favourite is an orange one but I bought these last month in Mallorca.
I've looked everywhere and can't find it in the UK

Mercadona make-up, perfumes, and toiletries. Most of the perfumes are dupes and they currently have a Tom Ford range. You'll recognise it when you see them! Or just Google. They're €8 for 50 ml.
The tuna empanadas are lovely; we usually buy the large one. Also Russian salad, gazpacho, and tortillas for snacks. Lays oregano crisps are nice too, and pipas sticks - I'll post a photo as I still have some!

Definitely the fresh fish and fresh fruit counters. They are fantastic. Also cheese. Manchego. I recently brought a whole manchego back from Spain. It's nearly gone!

Mercadona white chocolate doughnuts (DC love them) and Portuguese custard tarts. The fresh (squeeze it yourself with the machine in store) orange juice.

Second what PPs say about the make-up.

Chestnut spread and tomato jam (for serving with goats cheese!).
Mercadona is my favourite supermarket.
Consum is okay too. Then Coviran. Carrefour and Dia are meh, and I don't like Alimerka.

Not food but Spanish cleaning products are the best. I love the ‘talca’ fabric conditioner, smells like baby powder.
We always bring a big block on manchego cheese back in our suitcase.

Go to the indoor markets, they are amazing

Eroski's own brand gazpacho is gorgeous - better than any of the more expensive brands in my opinion, and also better than most that I have had in restaurants. I buy gallons of the stuff when we're in Spain but unfortunately you can't really bring it home.

Where abouts are you going OP? Lots of supermarkets and products are regional.

And how did I forget boquerones! Anchovies in oil. Usually in flat plastic trays in the chiller cabinet. Serve on slices of bread with alioli and tomatoes.

Tortas de Aceite - flaky rings of deliciousness. Available in most supermarkets

Loads of excellent chorizo and ham on the bone

Mercadona chocolate muesli - absolutely addictive

The manchego and other sheep's milk cheeses are worthwhile

Turron - mostly available towards Xmas

Fresh peaches and nectarines (if still seasonal)

filipinos. A chocolate coloured biscuit.

https://www.gastronomicspain.com/en/chocolatinas/filipinos-milk-chocolate.html

Chick peas in jars, better for some reason! Ditto white beans.

Hacendado chocolate bars (Mercadona own brand) the chocolate hazelnut one in a green wrapper is totally addictive and only about a euro.
I also got sachets of powdered peach ice tea in Mercadona which is obviously not the healthiest but a nice treat now and then!
Their make up is also great as mentioned above

Whilst Mercadona is still the go to supermarket in most of Spain they have slimmed down their offerings in a number of areas particularly wine and beer. They no longer sell several staples that we used to buy.
But you asked for recommendations:
Own brand mini magnums a steal, second the chocolate with hazelnuts sooo moorish, their frozen salmon, not cheap but pretty good, pizzas, I buy the four cheeses then jazz it up with chorizo, mushrooms, tinned red peppers(which I bring home)etc. Obviously cheeses of every kind, Seron ham, olives, the ones with stones in are a pain but much nicer flavour. Chilli and lime crisps, it's a case of once you start you can't stop! Obviously full of every e number under the sun.
Enjoy!

Horchata!

Lays Campesinas crisps are the best flavour crisp out there, so we always buy those when we go to Spain.

I don't know if you can get it on mainland Spain, but Mahon cheese (I love the curado version - cured) is lovely and worth looking out for. As is Xoriguer Gin from Menorca

Ensaimadas are really good too - a spiral shaped sweet bread/pastry - sometimes filled with chocolate or cheese or meat

Ah I have been to Spain every October half term for last 3 years but not this as didn't get arses in gear before fights got a bit too expensive, anyway suffice to say the thing I am most pining for other than the sun is the supermarket, I bloody love European supermarkets especially in Spain. Anyway, I'd try any of the pickle type things, mercandona and other chains sell jars with more veg in than just little gerkins, naturally fermented I think, bit spicy. Other snacks I love are the crisps cooked in olive oil - the churria ones (Santa Ana is a good brand), anchovy stuffed olives (you can get here but so much cheaper and better in Spain) and the sunflower seeds (pipas), the type with the spicy stuff on (barbacoa?). Other things I always get are all the Spanish classics, sheep's milk cheese, jamón from the butchery counter (much better quality than what we get here and not too expensive); chorizo; morcilla etc. plus salmorejo (like gazpacho but better IMO) which you can buy in small bottles. Veg is pretty good and if you are going to the far south at this time of year you can get hold of excellent locally grown tropical fruit (my kids love the soainish mangos, I preferred the custard apples (chirimoya in Spanish). God I miss Spain, excuse me while I sob cos not going this year

Oh just saw someone else mentioned the jarred pulses, totally agree, much better quality than tinned ones here (bigger, better texture and flavour). The dried pulses are also better - we can never usually be arsed with cooking them on holiday but always bring a bag or 2 home

Another vote for Mercadona, as well as everything else they have a really good range of screw top plastic tubs.

Packs of 3 reusable yogurt pots for 2 euro and larger ones too. So far we've got 6 of the yogurt pots and 4 that are the right size for a small portion of leftovers, half a block of butter etc. Or for your leftover cheese and olives to eat at the airport on the way home, or is that just me?

We're going again in a couple of weeks and I've already scoped out the nearest branch to go see what else we need.

Mercadona salted toasted almonds, the shelled ones. My DM makes me bring about a kilo hole with me

Boquerones in oil, on a flat tray

All the cheese, Manchego, Mahón

Turrón in various forms, it's a Christmas season thing, but you can get it from about now

Lays campesinas crisps

Mercadona hummus

Mercadona fresh bakery section....anything really, but especially the pan Cristal rolls

Serrano ham

I've never seen the tomato jam there, but I'll be going in today to look for it!

Yes to balsamic glazes, of any flavour

I just don't get pipas, but lots of people love them

Estrella Galicia and Rosa Blanca beer

Basically, hit up Mercadona and you'll be grand!

They've had some turrón in Mercadona for the last week or so. Not the full range yet as they have halloween stuff out. Consum had their full Christmas range out the other day.