Una demostración de corte de atún procedente de Tenerife y las salchichas de marisco de Ángel León inauguraron el 7º Encuentro de los Mares

The start of this new edition of the Encuentro de los Mares (Meeting of the Seas), an event promoted by the Tenerife City Council through its Tourism and Primary Sector departments, and organized by Vocento Gastronomía, was more maritime than ever, with a charity swim across the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Tenerife. From Los Cristianos beach to Tarajales beach and back, several participants took to the water to raise awareness about the benefits of swimming for women who have survived breast cancer. This was the main objective of the first charity Encuentro a Nado de los Mares (Meeting of the Seas Swim).

The open water swim, open to anyone who wanted to participate, included young swimmers from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Nautical Club, as well as a group of women from the breast cancer support association Ámate, for whom swimming is a therapeutic sport in their recovery from this disease. Leading the group was ultra-distance swimmer Christian Jongenee, one of the world's leading specialists in long-distance open water swims and a regular participant in this discipline through his association Brazadas Solidarias (Solidarity Strokes).

Street-level gastronomy

Street-level gastronomy

Following the success of this charity sporting event, a Maritime Gastronomic Fair has begun, bringing together several local and continental restaurants in the Plaza de la Pescadora, in Los Cristianos, to offer the inhabitants of Tenerife tastings at affordable prices, as well as two live cooking demonstrations and live music.

Just steps from the beach and with the sea as a backdrop, the Meeting of the Seas kicked off with a workshop focused on gastronomy and fishing. Local chef Juan Carlos Clemente gave a live demonstration of the traditional tuna cutting technique (ronqueo), accompanied by explanations from marine biologist and fisheries technician Agustín Espinosa, from the Tenerife City Council. Following this, another workshop on seafood sausages was led by Ángel León, chef of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Aponiente*** (Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz). León traveled to Tenerife to share, in a live cooking demonstration, all the secrets of making these sausages with bluefin tuna, sea bass, and amberjack.

These dishes were also available to attendees of the Maritime Gastronomic Fair, as Aponiente was one of the restaurants invited to the event. Ángel León's team served their tapas alongside another restaurant that had come to Tenerife specifically for the occasion: Cal Paradís* (Vall d'Alba, Castellón), run by Valencian chef Miguel Barrera, who brought his emblematic Castellón rice dish to the island.

They were joined by several chefs from the island, including Jesús Marrero, from the restaurant El Ancla (El Médano); Alberto Margallo, from San Sebastián 57 (Santa Cruz de Tenerife); Pedro Nel (Etéreo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife); and Samuel Hernández (Restaurante Zoco, Los Cristianos). Marrero offered a seafood stew of Atlantic bonito that perfectly complemented the black potato salad with spider crab and aioli foam prepared by chef Alberto Margallo of San Sebastián 57.

The most international touch has been provided by the proposals of Pedro Nel and Samuel Hernández, who, respectively, have prepared a ceviche-style causa and an octopus ropa vieja with muhammara yolks.

With this event now more open to the public and all residents of Tenerife, the Meeting of the Seas, with the support of Tenerife Awakens Emotions, has begun its seventh edition. This congress brings together scientists, chefs, and fishermen once again to defend the oceans. It will be followed by three professional days, this time focusing on salt as an essential component of the oceans, a culinary ingredient, and a cultural link between humanity and the sea.