The season of bluefin tuna from almadraba begins, one of the gastronomic jewels of our country. During the next two months, fishmongers and specialized restaurants will put on their counters and menus one of the best fish that can be eaten in the world, from the coasts of Cádiz (especially Conil, Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes and Tarifa). Conferences, contests and culinary routes will be held until mid-June around this unique product considered the "red gold" of the sea to which the best chefs on the planet surrender for its quality and flavor.

The exceptionality of this wild fish is due to its fishing through the millenary (and sustainable) technique of almadraba, a network of nets that catches the tuna that cross the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic to spawn in the Mediterranean between May and June. It is in these moments when their meat is optimal.

One of the most impressive spectacles that brings the season of almadraba tuna is the ronqueo, that is, the cutting by hand of specimens that are around, in many cases, between 100 and 350 kilos in weight. This ritual, carried out only by experts usually on the coasts of Cadiz or in the fishmongers once the fish are slaughtered, has become in recent years a classic among the exclusive gastronomic experiences of Madrid. That is, restaurants make available to diners the possibility of seeing live how the huge tuna is cut in their rooms, and then enjoy tasting menus made with the different parts of their meat.

Pioneer of this experience in the capital is Damián Ríos, who has been doing live snoring for his clients in DeAtún (Ponzano, 59) for seven years. "We opened the restaurant at the end of 2015 and in May 2016 we made one. We were the first in Madrid and they have always been a success of affluence, "says the Cadiz chef of this temple of almadraba tuna in the Chamberí neighborhood. This year will not be an exception and, together with his right hand Esther Llanos, he has once again organized his tasting menu with snoring included. The appointment will be every Thursday in May, from 20 h. and only for 45 people each date. After witnessing the ritual at the hands of two expert snorers from Barbate and with the explanations of Ríos, there will be a small tasting of freshly cut pieces of tuna and, followed, an eight-course tasting menu in which tuna is the undisputed protagonist (price: 100 euros person, includes drinks and dessert).

The expectation is maximum. In fact, all the places have already been filled and they have had to extend the experience one more Thursday, to June 8 (reservations here). "People love to come and see the snoring, which is named for the sound the knife makes when it grazes the backbone of this fish. I decided to do it because in the restaurant I had in my native Zahara de los Atunes I also did it. It is a way to show the client how wild almadraba tuna really is, its characteristics, how its meat is and the differences with that of swimming pools; it's like he's stuck in the gym all day, his meat is leaner," says Ríos.

Damián Ríos and Esther Llanos, the chefs of DeAtún.

This trend of showing customers the cutting live has been joined by other restaurants in the capital, such as Macarena Madrid (Rodio, 6), which will hold one on Wednesday, May 17, followed by a tasting menu (price: 100 euros including drink; reservations here); Azahara (Don Ramón de la Cruz, 16), on May 23 also with menu (100 euros without drink; reservations here) or Casa Felisa (Mejía Lequerica, 8), which also plans to organize one at the beginning of June.

Even the 'swimmers'

To carry out the snoring, Rios brings every Thursday from Barbate two expert snorers. He knows a lot about cutting, but to "put a 250-kilo fish between your legs, you have to have a lot of callus. Not just anyone does," he says. The tuna leaves Barbate at dawn and arrives in Madrid at 8 am (without the guts, which are removed once caught); between 200 and 300 kilos of fish from which 100% is used. "If it is said that pork likes even the walks, the tuna, even the swims," says Ríos.

The first thing that is done is to cut off the head and tail, then the two black loins and the two white loins. From there, the different pieces are obtained. From each cut 25 parts of the tuna are taken, although Rios admits that he has obtained a new piece that is not yet used, from the black spinet. "With that we made a chop for the cooking of our tapa Passion of bluefin tuna, which we presented this year at the gastronomic fair Salón Gourmet".

From the black loin are taken the sirloin, the plate (or loin) and the descargamento, noble pieces whose meats are used mainly raw, for tatakis, tartares ... From the white loin is obtained the precious belly (also used for crude or plate), tarantello and white tail. The tarantello is one of the most valuable pieces of this fish, as well as one of the most versatile. It is located between the belly and the white tail, although it is less fatty than these. It stands out for its reddish color and is used mainly in stews (marmitako, tuna with onions ...), although lately many chefs like Ríos also present it in tartare, carpaccio, raw tacos ...

Only from the head of a tuna five parts are obtained; Morrillo, Mormo, Facera, Parpatana and Los Paladares. The morrillo is another very appreciated part of the tuna and is located as in the neck of the fish." We bake it in salt," says Esther Llanos, Ríos' right-hand man. For its part, the parpatana ("which is as if it were the dewlap of the pig") is a delicacy that more and more chefs discover, with very fatty and marbled meat. "We make it candied at a low temperature, and it's like being given bread with butter," says Rios. They also offer a parpatana tartar on the menu. "Most of the meat we get out of snoring is for raw dishes, it's what people demand the most." Even the palates, with which a carpaccio is made.

Tuna tenderloin confit in collagen pil pil from DeAtún.

Once the fish is chopped (a cutting lasts half an hour), in DeAtún they deepfreeze their meat at minus 60 degrees. In total, the restaurant serves about 17,000 kg of bluefin tuna meat (exclusively almadraba) per year. "At the time of season we can be selling about 200 kg a week." During these months they only make tuna dishes, about 14 or 15 to choose from, which are made with frozen meat. "When we give fresh tuna, we tell the customer." Some of its dishes that enter the tasting menu are such as tuna minitrío in tartare, sashimi and tataki; Baos bread stuffed with spicy tuna or mango cream with tuna sashimi.

Restaurants

In addition to those mentioned, we propose some establishments in Madrid where you can fully enjoy the bluefin tuna from almadraba.

BUGAO. During the season of the bluefin tuna of almadraba, this fish is the protagonist of the menu that prepares with care the Ceuta chef Hugo Ruiz, with up to eight dishes with all kinds of cuts and versions. The tarantello toast of bluefin tuna, soy, tomato and black truffle and the Gadira bluefin tuna bull tartare with soy mayonnaise are two of its indisputable. Maria de Molina, 4; Tel. 608 26 36 93.

Bull tartare of red tuna Gadira de Bugao.

PONZANO. Paco García, in charge of the restaurant, organizes from May 11 to June 30 the 10th Almadraba Tuna Days with up to 14 recipes on his menu, from salmorejo with marinated bluefin tuna to bluefin tuna crumbs with picual oil and Josper baked morrillo. Ponzano, 12; Tel. 91 448 68 80.

ARAHY. It is another of the tuna temples in Madrid. Among its recommended dishes are tataki with truffle mayonnaise or bluefin tuna with a mere caress of the grill. They boast of sending home "the best tuna in the world". Alcalá, 58; Tel. 915 31 60 85.

Ponzano bluefin tuna steak.

SURTOPIA. About 35 kgs of bluefin tuna meat from almadraba will be consumed per week in this restaurant of creative Andalusian cuisine until the end of the season (July, approximately). While it lasts, 60% of its dishes will be tuna. And all fresh, because they do not work deep-frozen meat. They bring the specimens in separate pieces (discharge, ventresca, facera, mormo, contramormo ...) and serve it at the moment. Nuñez de Balboa 106; Tel. 915 63 03 64.

KULTO. Cadiz and tuna have an important weight in the letter and identity of this project by José Fuentes. The chef proposes recipes based on this specimen all year round. In season of almadraba tuna presents its renowned dishes of tacos and tartare. Ibiza, 4; Tel. 911 733 053.

Tuna belly, from Surtropia.

MACARENA. During the season, the Andalusian place performs ronqueos for customers (under reservation) with tasting menus. Rhodium, 6; Tel. 910 57 13 16.

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