Antonio Cottarelli
was born in Milan (1982), where he lived until he was 25 years old.
Born to an Italian father and a Spanish mother, he settled in the capital of Spain, but 80% of "
my
Spanish life
has been spent in Los Caños de Meca, in Barbate
(Cádiz). We lived in Madrid, but over the years it became second home. It wasn't just vacations. It was life, friends,
a feeling of belonging to an area
...", says Antonio today.
This is how he explains
his passion for Cadiz gastronomy and the launch of Tatun , a new
gastro
corner
in the Mercado de San Miguel, in front of the Plaza Mayor, whose reason for being is red tuna from almadraba.
In Cadiz lands it soaked up the tuna.
"My family was friends with the Ramírez brothers, former concessionaires of the Barbate trap," she recalls.
And later, new bonds of friendship led him to learn more about wild tuna.
"Among my wife's group of friends was the family of
Petaca Chico", leaders in the world of wild bluefin tuna from almadraba for more than 30 years
... And also providers of the gastronomic stall that Antonio opened in May in this square of supplies of Madrid de los Austrias.
Antonio Cottarelli, in Tatun.
Here there is only one protagonist: the
controlled fishing
Thunnus thynnus , with which Antonio develops
a concept with a lot of Km0: "products from the Cádiz area and with values of sustainability
, innovation and quality", explains this Milanese from
Cádiz
.
With it,
Cottarelli
elaborates a proposal that revolves around the
tapas and portions made every day
and in the marinated, raw or blowtorch preparations (the tataki).
"As soon as the cold arrives, we will begin to include
hot dishes
. The offer includes 12 bites, but next week we will include four more. For example, a
scold with ventresca cooked in the oven, with tartar sauce
and slices of pickled onion on top or a brioche with a payoyo cheese reduction topped with a spicy tartar".
The gastronomic stand in the Mercado de San Miguel.
High-altitude tuna, just like the bread that goes with it: the ones that come from the hands of
Daniel Ramos, from La Cremita, an artisanal bakery in Chiclana de la Frontera
that in 2021 won the Andalusian Miga de Oro award.
"With three flours from the area, they
create a range of breads with flavors from the land and the sea
. Here we use cuttlefish or seaweed scolds, sticks made with small pieces of shrimp, squid brioches with a touch of seaweed...", he recounts enthusiastically.
Breads that harmonize wonderfully with their creative dishes
, such as the tartars "that we make with different cuts of tuna. For example,
the ahumado con
toro
[special cut of the ventresca, with infiltrations of fat that give it a marbled appearance] or
downloaded
[part internal glued to the belly and tarantelo] We serve it with a quail egg and tobiko roe, mixed with different sauces to be chosen by the client (spicy, teriyaki), and then we
smoke it with a touch of olive and cinnamon
and serve with a bell jar".
Exhibitor with 'hams from the sea'.
In the list of dishes there is no lack of tatakis (in a sesame crust) or
tiraditos (the one from Sanlúcar -presented with truffled caviar pearls, sesame mousseline, Sanlúcar chamomile and brandy
- or the ventresca one, with emulsion of mango sauce, pico de gallo and chopped red onion).
It even includes nods to its homeland with
vitellato tuna
, a
reinterpretation of the Italian classic
vitello tonnato
.
"It is a flavored tuna taco with lemon zest and capers over meat juice and a touch of anchovy-based mousseline. It is a dish that you have
to dip the tuna in with the sauce
," explains this entrepreneur who one day decided leave the world of advertising for the kitchen.
Smoked tuna tartare.
"In the beginning, when I arrived in Madrid, in 2008, I combined it with a catering for
afterwork
, with
the concept of the Milanese aperitif, and I was in charge of the food
".
The number of "apericena" events grew and, suddenly, in 2010 the Mercado de San Miguel crossed his life.
Antonio had already fallen squarely into gastronomy.
Desire -since he was little he saw his grandmother and his mother cook at home- and family history in the restoration is not lacking.
"
On my father's side there is a hotel tradition
. My family had restaurants in Milan and I would get into them to mess around. My passion is the mixture of both cultures and there are good examples from both families,
my mother and grandmother are great cooks
" .
Antonio, self-taught, has completed his training with different courses.
Tataki in sesame crust.
In the market opened Moz Heart
(2010), with recipes with mozzarella and burrata;
then
Crab Crab Crab Madrid,
dedicated to the Russian king crab of the Arctic Ocean, and less than half a year ago this tuna corner.
Until he has just arrived a product that has everything to become a star.
This is
sea ham
,
a creation by Ángel León (Aponiente) with tuna belly from almadraba, who has used Petaca Chico
to give it the shape of ham, since the belly of the tuna, due to its texture, with fat infiltrated, and cut, resembles the leg of the pig.
"It is only served in Aponiente, in the Petaca Chico restaurant and now us."
Antonio does not give up in his efforts to bring the gastronomic culture of his adoptive homeland to the market.
"In fact,
shortly after opening we made a ronqueo and next year we will repeat
", explains this Milanese who when he speaks with a Cadiz he inadvertently loses his Italian accent.
"I am in love with Cadiz".
No doubt.
Tatum.
Plaza de San Miguel, s/n (San Miguel Market).
Price: from 5 to 25 euros.
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