#percebes

Fergus Henderson OBE is an English chef who founded the restaurant St. John on St John Street in London. He is known for his use of offal and other neglected cuts of meat as a consequence of his philosophy of nose to tail eating

Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management. His dedication and natural talent led him to train with some of the world's leading chefs, such as Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London, and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.In 1993 Ramsay became chef of Aubergine in London, which within three years was awarded two Michelin stars. In 1998, at the age of 31, Ramsay set up his first wholly owned and namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world - three Michelin stars. Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London's longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and Ramsay is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.

S1E08 San Sebastian: A Food Lover's Town Episode aired Jul 5, 2002 TV-PG 22m San Sebastian, Spain: Tony explores the food-crazed Basque culture. Tony's guide, Chef Luis Irizar, takes Tony into the underworld of Basque gastronomic societies. Later, Tony explores the citys tapas bars. Tony even gets hands on with making bass pepper sauce with the head instructor at the culinary school.

"A great city is like a great meal; it’s messy, complicated, and entirely worth the effort."

Walking around the fresh market, Luis points out the local favourite in each section of its offerings—namely the turbot in the seafood department, to which Tony is immediately impressed & gesticulating how chefs in NYC would kill for this ingredient. Pointing out, "Monkfish livers, that's like foie gras of the sea." I think we know what captures Tony's attention most & least just from these two episodes alone.

The turbot, Scophthalmus maximus, is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food fish.

[30:30] percebes is the most dear to the Spaniards bc it is a flavour that captures the essence of the Sea—cleaner and bolder than oysters or clams. Percebes taste like a soft, briny, and slightly sweet meat inside. Pollicipes pollicipes, known as the goose neck barnacle, goose barnacle or leaf barnacle is a species of goose barnacle, also well known under the taxonomic synonym Pollicipes cornucopia.

Why are percebes so hard to get? Percebes grow on the emblematic rocky outcrops that make up the northern coast of Spain. Unlike mussels, goose barnacles have resisted all attempts to be bred in captivity, probably because they require natural tides to survive.

The Dangerous Work of Collecting Delicious Goose Barnacles The northern Spanish region of Galicia is world famous for its seafood. While many foodies can recognize which fish and crustaceans are the crème de la crème when looking at a menu, few are aware of just how much effort goes into retrieving these delicacies from the depths.An example of the blood, sweat and tears poured into obtaining these tasty treats is the collection of goose barnacles, or percebes in Spanish. These funny-looking crustaceans are amongst the most sought after on the Galician coasts, and the most treasured by culinary experts. A delicacy like no other, goose barnacles are retrieved from rocky outcrops by brave fishermen, and later brought directly to your table at one of luxury hotel chain Paradores' traditional Galician restaurants, known as Enxebres. Percebes grow on the emblematic rocky outcrops that make up the northern coast of Spain. Their natural habitat on the dangerous, windswept shoreline makes for complicated conditions for those who retrieve them. On the rare occasions the sea is calm & the tide low, thanks to the influence of a full or new moon, the brave men that work in this trade descend into the surf from the cliffs above & cut the goose barnacles from the rocks. Lowered down by rope, the men quickly fill their nets while a lookout keeps watch for high waves. If they are caught by oncoming surf, the men risk being thrashed against the rock and dragged out to sea by the current. While the Galician government maintains a strict catch quota limited to six kilos per man per day, the work is considered to be well-worth the fishermen's efforts: at auction, a kilo of percebes can go for up to €300 euros. After being retrieved from the sea, goose barnacles are taken to market auctions in towns throughout Galicia. It is there that they are acquired by Paradores for their Enxebres kitchens, located at their hotels in Santiago de Compostela, Vilalba, Verín, Pontevedra, Monforte de Lemos, Tui and Baiona. Meaning "typical, traditional, naturally from Galicia", "Enxebres" are special Paradores restaurants that feature Galician seafood, freshly caught and served in accordance with the most beloved local recipes. In addition to octopus and scallops, Enxebres often feature the famous percebes, caught nearby. They are cooked very simply to let the intense flavours of the sea play naturally on the palate: while some eat them raw, percebes are traditionally boiled in sea water without any other seasoning. Breaking the shell, guests twist the barnacle apart before sucking out the delicious flesh. For authentic local seafood, check out the renowned Parador Santiago de Compostela, located within an ancient Royal Hospital and across the Plaza do Obradoiro from the Galician capital's famous cathedral. Established in 1499, this is considered to be the world's oldest continually operating hotel, and it is also one of the most beautiful, with cloisters and a luxurious dining room. Other options include Parador Pontevedra, a 16th century Renaissance palace in the historic centre of Pontevedra, or Parador Monforte de Lemos, a 17th century Benedictine monastery. On the coast itself, Parador Baiona treats guests to magnificent ocean views from this medieval fortress on the Monterreal peninsula.