Even when the sea was rough, with the fishing boat bobbing up and down, Enric closed his small kitchen and tried to cook something hot. In winter the dampness sharpens the cold from the sea, which cuts with a vengeance even here in the Mediterranean. Then, a simple plate of shark stew with garlic mayonnaise or “romesco” sauce, would become the food of the Gods. Tasty and replenishing.

Traditional Tarragona cuisine evokes barefoot sailors and smells of the sea. Of the sea and the plot, of course. The par excellence sauce is called romesco, which is also the name of the dish. The ingredients couldn’t be more Mediterranean: olive oil, baked tomatoes, almonds or hazelnuts. Step by step the restaurants that are most committed to the city’s gastronomic legacy have recovered the simplicity and vigour of the traditional seafood cuisine.

They bet on, for example, fish that is less well-known but tremendously tasty. The key is not a secret, a good product, respect and authenticity. That is when less is more.