Alhucemas
restaurantealhucemas@hotmail.com
- Fritura andaluza
- Cous cous rifeño
After the well-deserved recognition it received by being included among the great ingredient-based Spanish restaurants in this guide, Alhucemas continues to the best Andalusian refuge for all gourmet lovers of popular Atlantic seafood—lightly cooked whether it be grilled or fried, and bursting with marine flavor and juices. Here, they show on a daily basis that desire breeds success—through his great, continual effort, Miguel Palomo makes the Onubense (from Huelva) or Gaditano (from Cadiz) dream come true by satisfying the desires of the greatest gourmets, who despair at the scarcity of premium quality fish and shellfish. One facet worth pointing out is that the efforts of Teresa Ortiz in the kitchen make a powerful statement with their neatness and lightness, affirming the exquisiteness of the extensive work done in this popular establishment. In short, expert elementality.
And because the market reigns in this restaurant, it is better to forget the menu and begin the succession of dazzling gastronomic delicacies as recommended by the maitre d’. Among the shelled mollusks, the giant clams from Ayamonte, fine and meaty, pan-fried for just a few moments in a little virgin olive oil, take the cake; though the wedge-shells, and, when available, the striped venus clams, prepared in the same way, are just as good.
Another area in which the restaurant excels to the fullest is in its preparation of cephalopods—the baby cuttlefish, sautéed without the pen but full of ink, as well as the tiny squid—radiant, sublime, heavenly. At this point the feast culminates in a recreation of fritura (fried food), which, for the excellence of the ingredients, precision in the batter, bursting juiciness and visual, aromatic and gustative purity, is without equal in Andalusia. Especially grandiose are the anchovies marinated in lemon, garlic and parsley, the victorianos (anchovies from Málaga) and the squid—immaculate, divine. And then, to top off the insatiable smorgasbord: flounder, sea bass, red mullet, meagre, sea bream, etc. depending on the market. Ah! Do not forget the super-special pincho moruno (marinated pork). In short, everything is as elemental as it is delicious.