The Mercado de la Esperanza, an iron-framed covered market built in 1904, is the culinary heart of Santander. Its two levels are packed with stalls selling everything the Cantabrian coast and interior produces: gleaming fresh fish and shellfish on the ground floor, with percebes (barnacles), navajas (razor clams), and whatever was caught that morning laid out on crushed ice; fruit and vegetables from the valley farms; local cheeses, cured meats, and the region's outstanding tinned anchovies on the upper floor.
Going to the market in the morning is one of the best introductions to how this city eats. The stallholders know their products, the prices are good, and the atmosphere is practical and unhurried. Even if you are not cooking, the upper floor is worth visiting for the rows of artisan anchovy products — a tin of good Cantabrian anchovies makes a far better souvenir than most of what the tourist shops sell.