Caleta de Vélez, a fish paradise

Gastronomically, the Costa del Sol, which runs through the province of Málaga, is divided into two clearly distinct areas. On the one hand, there's the west, between the border with Cádiz and the capital city, where ambitious business projects, Michelin-starred restaurants, and fine dining focused on local produce are concentrated. On the other hand, there's the east, from the capital to the border with Granada, which is more like a barren wasteland. With one notable exception.

The exception is Caleta de Vélez, a small hamlet in Vélez-Málaga whose main historical activity has been fishing and which boasts one of the main fish markets on the southern Mediterranean coast. While it may not offer idyllic beaches or major tourist attractions for tourists, it does offer the best seafood on the eastern Costa del Sol, epitomized by the three restaurants mentioned below.

Chinchín Port

Founded in 2015 by Sebastián Martín and Lourdes Villalobos, former fishing boat captains, Chinchín Puerto rose to national fame in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, when it won the award for best potato salad at the strangest edition of San Sebastián Gastronómika. Made with potatoes grown in sand and boiled in seawater with their skins on, and prawns, its secret is a mayonnaise made with oil in which prawn heads and tails of small shrimp have been candied.

This potato salad (splendid, by the way) was the draw for many of us to discover a restaurant that lives for and by the sea, thanks to that figure on the verge of extinction that is the fishmonger, embodied in Marcos Fernández, son-in-law of the owners by being married to their daughter María, efficient and friendly head of the dining room.

Marcos visits the fish market daily to select the treasures of the Alboran Sea that arrive in the form of fish and shellfish, which he then presents at the restaurant, even mentioning the boat that caught them. He also works with the fish markets of Motril (Granada) and Conil (Cádiz) to broaden the selection.

Bivalves (fine clams, clams, cockles, prawns), cephalopods (baby squid, cuttlefish, octopus), crustaceans (pay attention to the XXL prawns from La Caleta, a rarity that can only be found in summer) and large fish (urta, gilthead seabream, redfish) and small fish (anchovies, sardines) of crisp freshness and flavor are wisely treated in the kitchen by Lourdes and Belén Abad (what a hand they have for frying) to bring out all their potential.

The wine list, which Fernández also manages and which evolves from year to year, focuses on white, fortified and sparkling wines and pays special attention to the winemakers of the area.

The Stop

Beautiful is not exactly the word one would use to describe Bar Marisquería La Parada. With its impersonal facade, metal bar, and a dining room that's more functional than anything else, it has been in operation since 1986, when the old main road ran through the town and it became a stopping point on the (then) endless journey between Nerja and Malaga city, hence its name.

But, once inside, the decor takes a back seat, as it should, when, before entering the lounge, you make a pit stop at the bar to have a very fresh draft chamomile with a concrete tapa, that is, a kind of salad with prawns and aioli.

Once at the table, your gaze is drawn to the display case with the day's catch: langoustines, turbot, red mullet, white and red prawns (from Garrucha), monkfish, squid… Choosing any of them is a good idea, but there are two specialties that you absolutely cannot miss.

First, the fried dishes, thin and crispy, especially the superb anchovies, which earned the restaurant the People's Choice Award for Best Fried Anchovies, granted by the Malaga Gastronomic Academy, as evidenced by a diploma proudly displayed behind the bar. And second, the crystal prawns with egg, one of those dishes that are directly linked to happiness.

The open wine cellar, located almost directly opposite the marine display case, invites you to accompany your meal with a good wine, at quite reasonable prices.

The Saltworks

Technically, it's a beach bar (or a snack bar, as they say in the area). But in reality, El Saladero is much more; it's a proper restaurant that elevates one of the most ancient and representative culinary techniques of the Costa del Sol: the espeto (skewered sardines). As a fun sign on the door says, next to a fish skeleton (a sardine, perhaps) are the names of the founders, Juan and Puri, and the year they started the business, 1965. Sixty years later, and still in the hands of the family, it not only remains in top form, but getting a table in the summer is a feat worthy of Tom Cruise and his movie franchise.

People come here to eat grilled fish. But not the typical small sardines you find at any roadside eatery (known as "manolitas"), but all kinds of fish, including larger ones and even some shellfish. You have to try the sardines, of course, but also, if they're available, some top-quality red mullet or exciting parrotfish. Or, why not, a sole or a sea bream.

But since diners don't live on skewered sardines alone, prawns, razor clams, and clams are also welcome additions. And sometimes, you can even find rarities, like weever fish roe.

Two important advantages to consider. The excellent value for money translates into very reasonable bills for the quality of the food. And the champagne selection, also reasonably priced, rivals that of any Michelin-starred restaurant… as any of these three could be if they were in France and not in Caleta de Vélez.