With little meat, the galley is a crustacean highly appreciated in some culinary traditions, especially where fishing is intense, such as Terres de l’Ebre, but is disdained in much of seafood cuisine precisely because of its lack of substance and the difficulty of removing its armored skin.
This crustacean has an excellent flavor, but also it is expensive to peel for its spikes and edges on the shell and this, added to the little meat it houses, contributes to its culinary contempt.
Apparently, nothing in the delicious galley makes it worthy of a great reputation in the kitchen, except for some unconditional fans determined to value it, especially for the excellent taste that it gives to rice and also for having advantageous prices compared to other products in its range. But its delicious flavor remains unknown to many diners and cooks even today.
The galleys live at the bottom of the coasts and, with a carnivore diet based on other fish and crustaceans (which contribute to giving their meat a delicate flavor), they are skilled hunters thanks to their sharp spines.
This marine prey, which can measure up to 20 centimeters, It is typical of the Mediterranean and the northwest Atlantic and it is precisely in these latitudes where it has greater culinary acceptance.
In fact, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in recent years this species has been revalued in the markets of big cities, especially in the case of females, which have better texture and flavor.
The Catalan, Valencian, Balearic, Andalusian, Italian and Greek coasts are experts in this delicacy, which in the Ebro is the protagonist of some gastronomic days during these weeks with ten editions under its belt.
Protagonist of the Ebro for a month
More than 40 restaurants in the towns of Alcanar, l’Ametlla de Mar, l’Ampolla and la Ràpita (seaside villages that keep alive fishing traditions certified by the Catalan Tourism Agency) that have prepared menus with this crustacean as the main ingredient.
This experience is combined with the pairing of DO Terra Alta winesa denomination located in the west of the province of Tarragona, between the Ebro river and the border with Aragon.
This DO has white Grenache as its star, a variety that matches perfectly with the salinity of the galley and with seafood-inspired sauces based on fish and seafood.
For four weeks, these restaurants offer gastronomic suggestions linked to the seafaring identity of the Ebro coast, committed to proximity cuisine and local products.
Among these restaurants are some referents such as L’Antic Molí, Les Barques Can Joan; Montero House; The Barrack; i Can Vicent, among others.
Cooks’ suggestions with this ingredient are based both on traditional proposals as well as more contemporary creations. For example, among the dishes prepared this year are delicacies such as galley and prawn tartare; galleys and mussels with young garlic; the sticky rice with galera and artichoke, and the galera fritters.
Also, on this galley route you can taste galleys with caramelized onion; galley cream and crispy ham; galley croquettes; galley cannelloni; escalivada timpani with galleys; rigatoni with galley cream; galeras fideuà or grilled galeras with volcanic salt, among many others.
A little further south, in the Castellonesne town of Vinarosthe XVI edition of the Galera Kitchen Conference is also being held.
This gastronomic festival has also served once again to highlight the flavor and gastronomic possibilities of this delicacy with the help of eight restaurants in the town with both traditional recipes and creative signature dishes.
Abundant in delta areas
The galley, central ingredient of these days, It is abundant in areas near deltas where the waters are rich in nutrients, as they are an excellent source of high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Not in vain, this crustacean generates more and more gastronomic interest. The organization of the Ebro conference highlights that this product has contributed to give value to the hotel and restaurant industrywhich has innovated with new recipes, and in fact, has registered a demand in crescendo.
Furthermore, during the weeks in which the conferences take place “This is when the best galley catches are made.”, apart from being a period of low influx in an area where you can enjoy the coastline and its good climate.
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