Alicante Gastronómica 2022 culminated this Monday with the fair’s final day. A 200-kilotogram bluefin tuna ronqueo was conducted under the auspices of Nicolás y Valero. This event marked a fresh start for Turkey in the competition scene. In the II Professional Competition for the Best Bluefin Tuna Tartare, Rodrigo Andrés Molinas, chef at Teselas restaurant in the Real Casino de Alicante, earned top honors for a dish prepared as a tuna taco, captivating the jury.
Molinas described his dish as a fusion of two premier products: extra virgin olive oil and red tuna, both sourced from the Mediterranean. He brings years of experience from a global gastronomy career to this achievement.
The technique, known as ronqueo, involves slicing tuna entirely by hand in a deliberate sequence rather than at random. Each cut depends on the oil content of the segment, allowing up to 25 edible portions for diverse preparations such as salted, canned, semi-canned, and smoked options. The term ronqueo comes from the blade’s soft rasp against the spine.
During the demonstration, participants learned the full process and value of different tuna parts. They were shown how each portion’s unique properties suits specific dishes, ensuring every part of the fish finds a use.
In the competition, eleven finalists faced off with cutting-edge ingredients for a best-tartar evaluation. The tuna used across finalists originated from the same section of Nicolás y Valero’s catch, with pre-cut portions provided for the presentations.
Gastronomic Alicante Showcases Michelin and Soles Repsol Tapas
The finalists were allotted 25 minutes to present their creations to a blind jury, who moved to a separate room during the plating phase. The jury scored the dishes on flavor, presentation, texture, heat, and the use of local products.
Another highlight was a feature on date-based dishes in the event’s program. Tomás Martínez, representing David López Local Trial in Puente Tocinos, Murcia, won the II International Professional Cuisine Award with a dish titled Fat dates, lamb dessert and pistachios, using Elche dates. The contest, sponsored by Miguel Hernández, aims to promote Elche Date as a culinary ingredient and to stimulate creativity among international culinary and pastry professionals.
Martínez explained that he aimed to craft an Arabic-inspired take on a local date product, studying the ingredient in three distinct ways presented on the same plate. The 25-year-old chef from Murcia plans to include the winning recipe on the menu where he serves as second chef.
Alicante Gastronomy Brings Together Top Talent
Gastronomic Alicante gathered a group of high-profile professionals, with a focus on 40 Michelin stars and 60 Soles Repsol recognized in the community. The jurors evaluated the level of technique, novelty, cohesion of components, narrative balance, and the final presentation.
Participants were required to submit fully detailed recipes, and every element in the dish had to be edible.
Luis Llobregat, chef de Ginebre in Petrer, took home the Best Salty Tapas honor. His winning dish emphasized simplicity and balance, featuring sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, and Petrer oil pesto, complemented by semi-dried mackerel and pickled onions.
This edition of Alicante Gastronomy showcased Mediterranean life and the fair’s efforts to spotlight local products. The event highlighted Savory Tapas as a platform to celebrate Alicante’s culinary heritage and to spotlight salted fish as a distinctive regional product. The organizer, Rafael García Santos, noted the award’s significance in underscoring the area’s rich culinary tradition and the craft of salted preparations.
During the awards, Rafael García Santos emphasized that the competition serves to promote the existence and enjoyment of a remarkable product while encouraging creativity and professional growth in Alicante’s bars and restaurants. Jewelry Love described the competition as a fitting finale for Alicante Gastronomica, praising the focus on salted fish as a defining feature of the event.