His round paths, its coastal towns, its coves and beaches bathed by the Mediterranean... There are many excuses to fall in love with Costa Brava and its picturesque landscape. World famous is Cadaques , the town that conquered Dalí to be a refuge in his last days and that this 2021 has conquered the Traveler Awards , which has consecrated the Costa Brava as Best National Destination.
From Blanes to Portbou there are many, many stops to discover. And for all tastes. On this journey through the wild landscape of its cliffs, the stops are made with the stomach and palate in mind, live fish auctions , in exceptional restaurants and in the star products with which to discover the rich culinary heritage of the area and understand its most precious asset: the sea.
Cadaqués and the history of Salvador Dalí.
Sure, talk about gastronomy on the Costa Brava leads inexorably to thinking about the Bulli, in Cala Montjoi and in Ferran Adrià. But also in Palamós, Llançà, Paco Pérez; that is, in the essence of the fishing that feeds the Costa Brava and the excellent cuisine that has been giving us for centuries.
PALAMÓS, CRADLE OF THE RED SHRIMP
East road trip designed to eat the Costa Brava on a two- or three-day getaway it starts at the cradle of the red prawn. Because this coveted red Mediterranean crustacean has made Palamós, in the Lower Ampurdán, an essential stop.
Sixteen boats are those that fish today looking for a product that began to be fished back in the thirties and that since 2013 is regulated under the Palamós Shrimp Management Plan , a program born from the very brotherhood to ensure controlled fishing and a product of excellent quality.
Because everyone who comes to his fish market will be able to enjoy the daily fish auctions carried out in the port and verify the exhaustive control of the prawn that goes on the market under a quality brand seal.
Palamós, the cradle of the red shrimp.
An auditor checks the temperature, appearance and size of a product that has between three and five years depending if it is “medium” or “extra” before passing it to the conveyor belt from which Suppliers bid low.
In addition to enjoying this show every afternoon, the Palamós brotherhood has a gastro space in which to learn (and taste) traditional recipes, like a succulent pickled, with fish from the area. Fisherman and cook, Ramón informs, teaches and prepares this four-five course menu every weekend (20-25 euros respectively) to which it is better to go with paper and pen to write down the recipes.
With a full stomach, before leaving it is worth giving a walk through your Fishing Museum , who was born over two decades ago to value "the men of the sea" and raise awareness of the importance of fishing and responsible product consumption.
Where does the salting come from? What types of fish are there on our neighboring shores? These questions and many more are what this space located in an old port warehouse.
Cala S'Alguer, Palamos.
A FARMHOUSE WITH LOVE FOR THE SEA
Of course one cannot learn from the culinary richness without trying it. The restaurant takes care of it. Gastronomic Hotel Es Portal , lead by the young chef Joan Carles Sánchez, that bases its cuisine on fresh fish together with other products from the area such as Pals rice or Girona apple.
located in a old restored red brick farmhouse , the hotel only has nine rooms spread over its two floors, perfect to gather strength and continue the journey.
ODE TO SALTING IN L'ESCALA
If the red shrimp is the spoiled child of Palamós , forty kilometers the town of L'Escala protects and boasts of the savoir faire with the anchovy . The salting industry is something historical in this small town , as well demonstrated by the dozen factories that are distributed in a term that does not exceed 14 square kilometers.
Es Portal Hotel Gastronomic.
In fact, in the very center of the town you can buy canned souvenirs or olives with anchovy D.O. directly from the producers, such as, for example, in Anxoves Fill by J. Callol i Serrats , the oldest active company in the area.
To better understand the history of the technique and the value it has had and still has for the locals, it is best to approach its magnificent Museu de l'anxova i de la sal.
Inaugurated in 2006 in an old slaughterhouse, this museum space delves in the history of fishing , in the different techniques, since there are more than 100 ways to fish on the Costa Brava , and in the salting process itself blue fish since the 16th century to the present day.
The ruins of Empúries, in L'Escala.
Black and white photographs recall how the sea has been the focus of sustenance, celebrations and superstitions. Also of wealth, as the neighboring fisherman's house Can Cinto Xuà, an 18th-century house that houses in its interior many typical objects and utensils recreating a journey of almost three centuries.
A cupboard dating from the 18th century, a plate of the XIX or turn of the century baby clothes are just some of the deco jewelry who wait behind their walls with fishing gear of time immemorial.
FISHERMEN'S BREAKFAST
In fact, without leaving L'Escala, lovers of strong breakfasts you will find in its port the perfect excuse to get up early. In the L'Escala MARAM Interpretation Center , managed by the fishermen's association, you can enjoy the morning auction of blue fish.
The early riser, then at 7:00 a.m. the guided tour begins , it will be worth it. See the boats arrive, how the product is unloaded and auctioned, to end up enjoying a traditional “fisherman's breakfast”, makes this activity a must in the town.
Cala Bramant in Llançà.
LLANÇÀ, THE 'ESCAMARLÀ' AND PACO PÉREZ
End this route in Llançà, just 14 kilometers from France, to discover the exquisite crayfish that populates these parts and the restaurant with two Michelin stars from which Paco Perez do magic. Talk about Llançà is synonymous with escamarlà and Cap de Creus, the area rich in nutrients from French rivers and regular currents, which causes stringy fish and shellfish result of being in constant movement.
Delicious product that can be tried in the traditional The Fishermen of chef Lluis Fernandez, a local kitchen who buys directly the fresh fish to display it openly on the table.
The lobster commands but Lobster has become one of its star dishes. Served fried with oil or with scallop vinaigrette (one small onion) , dry tomato, coriander and ginger, with a little hollandaise sauce to close, be sure to reserve when the season approaches.
The final icing on this gastronomic journey through the Costa Brava is, how could it be otherwise, the chef Paco Perez . With two Michelin stars, Miramar represents the haute cuisine of the Alt Emporda , from the sea of amunt, as Paco himself likes to define the Girona region where he grew up and turned his kitchen into a benchmark.
With five michelin stars to his credit, this is where it all started: facing the sea, in an elegant glass box, with his wife Montse Serra. Paco Pérez enhances a sublime product where the sea rules through a refined technique that he seeks "the happiness of the diner". His cooking can be tasted in letter or through the two menus , being MAR21 his latest release.
25 “ideas” make up this journey of flavors and textures in which there is no lack clam, crab, crab, a mullet that removes the hiccups and a revised boat rice. Eel, scallop or anchovy they do not resist him either, as well as the trumpets of death or the pigeon.
Vibrant, balanced, his latest creation is, without a doubt, the excuse you needed to discover Llançà. Also, on the top floor of the restaurant five fantastic suites await on the seafront where say goodbye to the tramuntana, the sun of the Costa Brava and the salt of the Mediterranean.