Caldero del Mar Menor is to conjure up an image of rice, fish (grey mullet, monkfish, grouper), cooked in an iron pot, with ball peppers and garlic mayonnaise.
Originated in a small fishing town called Cabo de Palos near Cartagena, this dish relies on a concentrated fish stock to gives its flavor.
Fisherman used to make this dish in order to use up some of the lower quality fish from their catch. They would typically not eat the fish, but instead use it to create the stock to flavor this wonderful dish.
Normally, Caldero del Mar Menor consists only of the rice with perhaps some of the fish from the stock on the side.