Galician spider crab? By November, either sneakily or from France

fishing until november This crustacean is always alive and should be cooked with sea water if possible. to enjoy the textures and flavors of your body and your inside five pairs of long, hairy, stiff legs. Crabs offered in grocery stores or restaurants will now be ‘from the sailors’ like Galicians poachers or those from France, Much lighter crust and less flavorful than Rías Baixas. While alive, those in Galicia They are very dark, reddish in color and also often covered with hairs, those on the outside are usually whiter and usually don’t have those weird hairs.

“This four-pound piece should be about three years old,” says the Galician chef in Portocubelo. ‘Prestige’, a rendezvous point once rescued, on the shore blackened by the tar of ‘Prestige’ for shellfish collectors who struggle at sea every morning The undisputed king of the rugged depths is chasing the lone spider crab From Costa da Morte.

Like the vast majority of sailors in the area, Costiña asserts unequivocally and uncomplicatedly that the male’s taste is far superior to that of the “disgusting” females. “There have always been two sides to this issue: especially those who prefer females for their eggs and like me We chose the male benefits, slimmer and more subtle, especially good when it weighs more than two kilos and is caught in its most beautiful season, namely in January, February and March”, He emphasizes with the wisdom of having prepared more than 10,000 crabs, which he never kept in the refrigerator during his 42-year life. Shellfish should be opened and eaten immediately to avoid oxidation. While advising experts, he insists that all spider crab eaten in Galicia from now until November will be “from the outside or from poachers”. 80 percent of shellfish Costiña claims that what is served here is not Galician.

“The first spider crab I cooked was when I was 16,” the chef continues. While gently patting the ‘bug’, which he will serve in his famous restaurant for 200 Euros, so as not to stress him out, A house with seven tables for 28 people served by 14 employees. The experience always starts in the back room and continues in the gorgeous cellar, lounge and table area, where he judges fine Cohiba Havana cigars and all manner of liquors, together with bottles of very expensive Macallan whiskey, one worth 500,000 euros.

More than 80 years of history

Manuel Costiña’s childhood was spent in the refectory of his family in Santa Comba, which he inherited from his paternal grandparents. A neighborhood of 10,000 inhabitants and 40,000 cows, 20 minutes from Santiago de Compostela. “My grandparents cooked first and foremost Galician octopus, tripe, roast beef, Roman salmon, cutlets, stews, and stews,” she explains.

Opened in 1939, the facility was on a slope, so the family became known as “los costiña”. After the years, they moved to a larger restaurant on the outskirts of town, so their nicknames were changed and they were called “retired”. From there it comes to the name of Retiro da Costiña, the restaurant that made history in Galicia by reaffirming the 2008 Michelin star that Manuel’s mother, whose real surname was García, was for the cuisine, reaffirming each year. The tasting menu of 16 small plates costs 125 Euros without pairing.

“Our gastronomic offering is pure product”, continues chef Xalleiro, accustomed to sharing his delicacies with other masters of the kitchen who do not hesitate to go home or to feed their famous neighbors. Amancio Ortega and his daughter Marta Passionate fans of the crunchy chocolates that have been in the Christmas baskets of Inditex employees for three years.

“What we love here is welcoming everyone who comes in,” Costiña concludes. now he is immersed in the new era he wants to give to his business, opening seven luxury villas three kilometers from the restaurant to welcome his distinguished and gourmet customers. “We’ll plant a refreshing orchard and a camellia forest,” says Costiña, in town, where he’ll be serving gastronomic breakfasts with bread. made in his workshop to spread local butter, Silleda cheeses or a delicious cobransosa olive oil.

Also for those who want to take advantage of accommodation to pamper the rest of the body in addition to the palate, Costiña will have it With wellness treatments and nutritional advice prescribed by Ana Mancebo, one of the top aesthetic professionals on the national scene.