Getaria, Basque Country #TheCulinaryNation
The village that raised the first man to sail around the world.
The nucleus of the production of fizzy white txakoli wine.
The birthplace of famous fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga.
As if this weren’t enough for a town of 2,818 people, it’s also home to a remarkable grilling tradition, cemented in the mid-20th century, and some of the world’s best places to eat grilled seafood. You can spot evidence of the tradition on the very streets of the town, where open air, adjustable grills are built into the walls in the old town and still put to use by the many asadores.
Nestled between the bountiful Cantabrian Sea and the fertile green hills, Getaria just may be the perfect (and most picture-perfect) village in Gipuzkoa.
Getaria has a living port.
It’s one of the few ports still working in Gipuzkoa, and a center for unloading the fruits of the sea. Getaria is most famous for its deep sea fishing fleet, a trend reflected in all of Basque Country, where 75% of the fleets are deep sea boats.
Depending on the day, arrive early (or late) enough and you can witness the unloading of both large and small boats. Depending on the season, you can expect to find anchovy or tuna, mackerel and red mullet, sea bream or sardine.
The arrantzale, or fisherman, is a truly important figure in the coastal world. The fishermen of Getaria are a varied bunch, ranging from generations of Basques who have learned the trade from their fathers to immigrants from Senegal with extensive experience in fishing.
They are constantly striking a balance between quality and quantity; some boats in a more is more mentality, large fish and large volume. Other boats are family-owned and navigated by the current generation of arrantzale, who take pride in knowing the moon, the currents, and the waves. They don’t use GPS.
A popular story goes around of a fisherman who used a GPS and came back to report there was nothing biting. Then one of the older guard came back with a fabulous catch, reporting that he had followed the currents to the fish, reading the age-old signs from nature instead of modern technology.
Every fishing culture probably had grills on the boat, but they didn’t deboard like they have in Getaria. The grill plus the fish is a recipe that belongs to the maritime world.
In the 1950s, hake was a luxury. Sole too, thanks to the French influence. Turbot, however, wasn’t so revered.
The grilling revolution of Getaria began when the fisherman Faustino walked up to a bar bamed Elkano. He had a few fish, one of which was a turbort and a client who was outside said, “I would eat that turbot.” Owner Pedro put it on the grill in a besuguera (a cage for cooking sea bream), despite the fact it spilled over the side and turbot was previously regarded as a fish to be filleted. He left the skin on and placed on the grill. The fats started bubbling under the skin. He turned it and…magic!
To this day, Restaurante Elkano is still in the Arregi family and the turbot is still magic. The secret is in the sauce, of course, also known as agua de Lourdes. At Elkano, they don’t call the olive oil mixture that goes on the fish during and after grilling a vinaigrette but a “light oil”. Aitor, Pedro’s son, thinks the fish should go “naked”.
Long live the magical Getaria, a central part of the Culinary Nation.
