Blanes bets on food of proximity
Good nutrition, waste reduction, or responsible consumption are problematic with which we have to live in our world. In Blanes, we are aware of this, and for this reason, we are an integral part of the LOCALITZA project, promoted by the Consell Comarcal de la Selva, and aimed at connecting agri-food products with tourism. From different parts of the region, local products with identity, ecological and gastronomic value are promoted. For our part, and how could it be otherwise, in Blanes we joined the project with our local seafood products that are the result of our great fishing tradition.
Download the PDF of La Selva Fishing Sector
The brotherhoods that organize the fishing sector in the county of La Selva are that of Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar, being in the Llotja de Blanes, where more catches are marketed, erecting as well as one of the most important of the Costa Brava and of Catalonia. In addition, in Blanes, the boats download daily fishing to sell at the Market, offering fresh fish both to tourist catering establishments and to fishmongers, thereby reducing transport pollution or plastic packaging. You can visit the Llotja and the Port of Blanes through the visits organized by the Fishermen’s Association: http://cofblanes.com/galeria/. All this idiosyncrasy of the fishing product in Blanes is the one that wants to promote from the LOCALITZA project, which encourages the labeling of fresh fish as such and offers a mark for establishments that enhance the local product.
Apart from these actions, the LOCALITZA project also organizes in Blanes different workshops, excursions, conferences and Gastronomic Days to publicize the gastronomy of the local fish that is part of the Mediterranean diet. Thus, we have the Gastronomic Days of the Blue Fish, during which, in the offer of the Restaurants, stands out local products of the Llotja de Blanes such as the anchovy, sardine, sonso, alatxa and sorell, which have a High content of B12, D and vitamins are a great source of omega-3. But the authentic star product of the Llotja de Blanes is the Shrimp of Blanes, or pink shrimp, the most fishy crustacean and the most economic benefits reported in the Market, with the permission of the prawn, which is the second. The Shrimp of Blanes is characterized by having thin and tasty meat, which, at the nutritional level, gives us proteins of high biological value, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins A and retinol B2. Fishing at the canyon of Blanes, about 30 miles from the coast, between 400 and 800 meters deep; they can be tasted throughout the year, and especially during the month of May, which is when the Gastronomic Days of the Shrimp of Blanes are organized.
Apart from the product itself, with the LOCALITZA project, it is also intended to make known everything that surrounds the food of proximity, its processes, its buildings, its history, etc. That is why it is urged to make known elements such as different types of fishing (encircling, dragging, ham, etc.) or the need to respect factors such as the veins, sizes or season, for guarantee the sustainability of the sea
If you want to stroll along the history and marine reality of Blanes, you have plenty of reasons and corners! You can start with the Rock of Sa Palomera, official start of the Costa Brava, which leads to the neighborhood of s’Auguer, the first fishing nucleus in Roman times. You can follow the Dies Feiners Square where you can find the municipal Fish shops, which connect with Es portal (traditional space for the sale of fish), to continue to the hermitage of the Verge de l’Esperança (Hope Virgin), which reaffirms the past Sailor of Blanes with its decoration. Next, visit the Port and Llotja de Blanes, and finally, visit the Església del Vilar (Vilar church), where the decoration of boats makes a well-deserved tribute to the fishing and marine life of Blanes.