Nueva cocina marinera

Nueva cocina marinera
Spagna
Magazine: February 2008

Galicia, the natural, fi nal stop on the Santiago di Compostela Way, proposes itself once again as an appetising, gastronomic destination. After the world renowned success of cooking from Basque countries and Catalonia, Galicia is ready to step up to the podium in Spanish culinary excellence, thanks to a new generation of “sons of master” chefs that revisit the great classics of traditional Galicia cooking; young cooks capable of innovating and astounding with the best products from the ancient, generous land, even more so from the sea which is rich in treasures. Saint Jacques shells or vieira, are now the icons of the nueva cocina marinera, together with a variety of mariscos have made Galician marisquerias famous all over Spain. Seafood harvesting is one of the mainstays of this region. Just visit any bustling fi sh market for proof, where stands compete with the most prized gifts of the sea: from tasty percebes with necora crabs, from fi nes de claires oysters to the celebrated anglerfi sh.

Ferias, fi estas y romerias The countless country festivals celebrated in Galicia constitute one of the most vivacious and pleasant times for tasting excellent, typical dishes of local people’s traditions. For Galicians any occasion is a good one for celebrating in the company of friends around a plate of pulpo a feira, a must at all holiday feasts! Food pavilions are set up actually on every holiday where large sized octopus is cooked. After around one hour of boiling in its red bouillon the octopus is ready to be cut into round pieces and dressed while still hot, with a light sprinkling of pimenton, course salt, then doused with extra virgin olive oil. This ritualistic plate, under the name of pulpo a la allega represents the most revived of Galician tapas in Spain. For around ten years now, an in depth re visitation of traditional plates has been underway at the hands of a few young chefs intent on renewing the classic Galician repertoire. Overall, a reduction in cooking times and a different way of working the main ingredients, along with re assessment of aesthetic presentation of the plates is evident.