Gastronomy
Flavours that begin in the Mediterranean.
Espetos on the grill, almadraba tuna and no-nonsense marinero cooking. How to eat fish in Estepona the right way.
The espetos are not for tourists. They are the smell of the sea at midday, the cook's hands and thirty years at the same chiringuito.
Before you go
The best season for almadraba tuna is April to June. Espetos are available year-round, but some beach bars close in winter.
The espeto
Not a dish — a technique. Six sardines on a bamboo cane over olive-wood embers. The temperature, timing and distance from the fire are the only ingredients that never appear on any menu.
Almadraba tuna
Seasonal only. Between April and June, the strait between Spain and Africa becomes the mandatory passage for bluefin tuna. The almadraba is a Phoenician trap net. Estepona's tuna comes from here.
Boquerón and anchovy
One is fresh, the other is cured. The fresh boquerón, the boquerón in vinegar and the salted anchovy in oil are three different products that begin with the same fish. Estepona does all three well.
The chiringuitos
Estepona's beach bars are not beach clubs. They are simple structures on sand with plastic chairs, espetos and the sea three metres away. They have been in the same spot for decades because they do one thing well.