The red prawn, the lobster, the crayfish, the clam, the razorfish, the oyster…these exquisite varieties of seafood are known all over the world thanks to their gastronomic excellence and superb flavor. There is, however, another shellfish, just as delicious but less touted – perhaps due to its easy availability and reasonable price at the fish market – so much more...
Fish from Ibiza constitutes one of the island’s most characteristic and exquisite products. But how can we identify it? How can we really be sure that what we have before us is a specimen caught in Pitiusan waters? For, as in any other European city, tons of fish from far and wide arrive every day in Ibicenco markets. The answer...
In a previous post we discussed the pig slaughter, one of Ibiza’s most important gastronomic traditions, as well as the typical dishes that are prepared in conjunction with this festive occasion. Today we will turn our attention to the sausages that come from it: sobrasada (red sausage) and butifarra (black sausage). In days gone by, Ibiza was an island on which...
The history of Ibiza cannot be understood without its fishing activity. Thanks to archaeologists, we now know that even in Phoenician and Carthaginian times there was organized fishing. The industry escalated under the Romans, who set up factories to preserve fish and garum – the ketchup of the day, made from fish flesh and innards – products which were then...
Few elements demonstrate the cultural mélange of the Ibicenco people as palpably as their gastronomy. Ibiza was inhabited by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and Catalonians, among other civilizations, all of whom left their mark in the form of a unique culinary heritage. Despite the passing of centuries and the development of taste preferences and available produce, this legacy is still...
Much of a restaurant’s magic resides in the market produce that goes into prepping its menu. The quality of these ingredients, in turn, depends on securing trustworthy suppliers, who can guarantee steady deliveries and the top quality we require. At Es Torrent, we have quite a few direct suppliers (fishermen, farmers, olive growers, butchers, etc.) but, mostly, we go to...
In bygone days, the people of Ibiza organized their existence around laying in enough food to sustain them. Summer constituted the most fertile time of year and farmers developed a multitude of techniques to preserve the season’s bounty so that it would tide them through the winter. One of the best examples of their resourcefulness can be found in the...
The scorpion fish (Scorpaena scrofa), on the island known as ‘roja’, is one of the tastiest fish in Ibiza. Many fishermen have felt the effects of its poison when trying to release it from the hook once caught. They usually end up with a very swollen hand and one has to be very skillful to release it, putting the thumb...
There are few products that, with the passage of the hours, change as much as squid once it is out of the sea. Freshly caught, there is no better bite. It could be said that Ibicencos are addicted to squid, both to catch it and to eat it, and with it they prepare intense dishes, which, in all cases, respect...
It often happens in gastronomy that improvisation and fortuity are cited as the inspiration for some of the world’s most iconic dishes. How, for example, did anyone ever come up with the idea of crushing garlic in a mortar, adding a slow trickle of oil and stirring constantly until aioli formed? And, was it really a case of absent-mindedness that...
