EL CAPELLÁN (Chaplain fish)
The chaplain fish, "capellán" in Spanish and "capellà" in Valencian language, is a white fish with little fat and fine meat that has an elongated and pointed snout.
It can be consumed fresh, but it is salted where it is best considered. It has never had a great commercial value, but it is another popular salting products highlyconsumed in the region, along with mackerel and dried octopus.
Se suele servir en el típico "esmorsaret" troceado con aceite de oliva y es un ingrediente imprescindible, en nuestro plato "esgarrat amb capellans".
EL JUREL (Horse mackerel)
The horse mackerel, "jurel" in Spanish and "sorell" in Valencian language, is a oily meat blue fish of silvery gray color, elongated body and pointed head.
Its meat is fresher and juicier during the cold months, although it is fished until April. It is advisable to gut it for better preservation. On the coast of Alicante it is abundant all year round and is usually caught with purse seine.
Although it is not a gastronomically valued fish, it is very rich in essential fatty acids Omega-3. In addition to being so fatty, it provides fat-soluble vitamins A and D.
The best way to present it is to remove the central spine. A good option is to bake it with baked potatoes and a chopped garlic and parsley. Another very common option is to make it pickled.
LA CABALLA (Mackerel)
Blue fish with high nutritional properties found in our markets during spring and summer.
Although its most common way of preparation is "grilled", it also offers excellent results in pickle and marinade.
It has been a very common salting product of domestic production in Denia, a tradition thatcontinues in many homes.
The process is as follows: It is decapitated, the viscera are removed and subjected to a salting process in brine and light drying. In Dénia it is dried less than in other areas and also it is prepared a mixture of sweet paprika and oil with which mackerel is smeared when dried.
LA POTA (species close to squip)
The "pota", also called in our area "pasamar", is a species very close to the squid. Like this one, it has an elongated body and 10 tentacles, two of them much longer than the others.
It is caught with trawl. It is a little less tender than squid , but it can be used in the same recipes.
With a large component of water, this species has a great value in proteins and vitamins of group B.
A typical recipe of the area is squid stuffed with white wine.
EL NEGRET
Known in our area as "negret" or "carboner" is not fished regularly but nevertheless has a low price and good quality. Its skin is thick and dark (hence its name), a rounded snout with a large mouth and a tail that resembles that of a whale. It is said that it is a "sybarite" fish, because it feeds exclusively on prawns, squids and crabs.
It has a great value in proteins and vitamins of group B in addition to fatty acids in Omega-3.
Its meat is very juicy and is usually grilled.
Here on the coast of Alicante it is included in seafood stews.
