November 1 is coming, holiday of all saints and national holiday in Spain. The party of the dead in Ibiza is celebrated in a special way, as in the whole country and in many other parts of the world -see Halloween in the United States, whose carnival spirit has also been introduced in Europe, or the famous Mexican Day of...
The menu at Es Torrent is comprised primarily of sea-based dishes made from the best that local waters have to offer. Most of our dishes are traditional recipes, passed down from generation to generation and reinvented by our chefs who add their personal touch according to their own culinary experience. In this blog, however, we are going to distill the...
We have already determined in previous posts that there are three outstanding varieties of large fish native to Ibiza: red scorpionfish, John Dory and grouper. To these we may add a fourth variety, just as delicious – some even prefer it – but less known because it is scarcer and therefore not always featured on restaurant menus: dentex or “déntol”...
If you had to name one dish that is always on the menu at restaurants featuring traditional island cuisine, it would have to be the seafood paella. There is really no establishment specializing in typical fishermen’s fare that doesn’t serve it, something which probably cannot be said of any other entrée. Es Torrent, of course, offers it as one of...
As the Spanish saying roughly goes, “Seek from the sea grouper, and from the land, lamb”, a recommendation that seems conceived especially for Ibiza, considering that, in years gone by, lamb, along with kid goat, pork and fowl, were the only meats available on the island, while grouper was held as the best fish that could be served at any...
Restaurants in Ibiza, Es Torrent included, usually serve an appetizer when people sit down, typically consisting of a little bowl of ‘all i oli’ sauce, some olives and a basket of the island’s characteristic country bread. Each restaurant has its own special touch, some making the sauce stronger, some milder, some adding a hint of tartness with a few drops...
When preparing traditional Ibicenco mariner’s stews, restaurants tend to use fleshy cuts of fish with few bones. In “bullit” or “guisat de peix”, for example, the most common varieties are grouper, scorpionfish, John Dory, monkfish, snapper, bream, etc. But, fishermen themselves will use all kinds of fish, some of which, though bonier, are truly tasty. Among these, the most noteworthy...
In less than a month, on 20th April, Es Torrent will reopen its doors and officially kick off the season. Counting this one, 32 summers have come and gone since 1986, when we first christened that little wooden shack – which has evolved into the restaurant we have today, ever retaining the beach-bar spirit that has always characterized us. Es Torrent...
Throughout the year, every village in Ibiza celebrates its patron saint festival in the time-honored fashion. These events bring together two main ingredients in order to invoke the alchemy of Pitiusan culture, namely, folklore and gastronomy. “Ball pagès” is the name given to the traditional folk dance of Ibiza and Formentera. Ancient and rural in character, it is, in fact, an...
Ibiza has been harvesting its extensive salt pans for over 2,600 years, when the Phoenicians inhabited the island. Until the arrival of tourism, the salt industry was the principal source of income for the Pitiusan archipelago and provided work for hundreds of islanders. However, beyond Ibiza, the use of salt as a gastronomic element is even older. Today, the Es...
