Your Favourite Alicante Chef's Recipe

No place in the world rivals Alicante when it comes to enjoying a good rice dish. The city's extensive range of restaurants and culinary offerings speaks for itself. Not only is there a wealth of dining options, but also a rich culinary heritage. Alicante boasts a recipe book steeped in centuries of tradition, rooted in ancient lands, and enriched by unique preparations found nowhere else. This year, Alicante has been chosen as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy.

For this reason, we have selected some of the most prominent Alicante chefs in today's culinary scene to answer three simple yet deeply meaningful questions: Where do they love to dine in Alicante? What is their favourite Alicante-origin recipe? What dish do they cook best? The responses varied, but one clear protagonist emerged: rice.

"I have many friends in the hospitality industry, so this is a tough question, but if I had to choose, there's a place I love because the people are great and the quality of the product is incredible. It's La Gamba, near the TRAM stop Miriam Blasco. I thoroughly enjoy every visit; nothing ever disappoints, and I feel right at home."

"I've always been a great admirer of caldero, that rice dish accompanied by fish like a good dorado, a rockfish, or a fine lechola (which is in season now)... It's a recipe that captivated me because my mother used to make it, and I inherited her way of preparing it."

"I repeat myself. What I cook best is, without a doubt, caldero. At Casa Riquelme, we make it superbly. It's a recipe with history and learning. My family is from Tabarca, and my father always strived to be a good cook. This recipe, for me, is tradition, family, nostalgia, and, of course, a sublime execution."

"It's curious, but I'll tell you about an Italian restaurant. Well, not entirely. Infraganti Pizza is an incredible place where they fuse the traditional concept of pizza with lifelong Alicante products. And well, the dough is perfect. The Italian concept of pizza has much in common with our Alicante cocas and the Mediterranean diet. That's why I like it so much."

"Without a doubt, a well-made pericana, something truly challenging. First, some long red peppers (which are precisely grown in the summer in the Alicante mountains). To have them all year round, they are dried. Then you fry them delicately: at 180 degrees and with great care. You dip and remove a deseeded strip in the oil. It's not easy to get them right; that's where the art lies. If you dip and remove them quickly, they fry in transit and don't burn." The aged dried pepper is umami, full of character. And then the salted fish, which must go through the same process. Add some extra virgin olive oil, and that's it. A true marvel. The Alicante pericana is a recipe that has been much mistreated. We are used to saying something bad is good because it's what we've always eaten. But pericana is a recipe with a lot of history in Alicante, and we must protect it."

"And also the olletas. We need to bring them back into fashion. They are a perfect summary of the entire Mediterranean diet. We need to learn to eat more naturally, with truth, closeness, and sustainability."

"Rice. It's the backbone of our diet, a product of resourcefulness, proximity, and common sense. It's very digestible, and you can add any protein because it accepts everything. I would say any type of rice. It's what I cook best. That and cod, which is also umami due to the aging of the fish."

"My father has run a rice restaurant in Alicante for thirty years. It's called Arrocería El Mosquito. To be honest, I grew up there and learned almost everything I know there. I always say the best food is what your mother, father, grandfather, or grandmother prepares at home. It's the best thing in life. And that's how it is there. It's one of the best restaurants in the entire province."

"I'm absolutely clear. Rice with pata [a rice dish based on beef shank, chorizo, onion, garlic, and chickpeas]. I think it's a fantastic dish that also features components very present in the Mediterranean diet. Anyone who hasn't tried it should. It's incredible."

"My culinary world revolves around Alicante rice dishes, so my answer is rice. If I have to be specific, I would say the one I cook best is the senyoret rice and the rice with secreto, dried tomato, and boletus. I love making them."

"Logically, I highly recommend my own place, Gastrobar Jorge. Beyond that, I live in San Juan, and I recommend Santabar (next to the Monastery of Santafaz); Taberna del Racó del Pla, where they serve excellent tapas; Pintxo Kalea, Cervecería La Gamba, and Cervecería Max. For a good rice dish, Casa Riquelme and La Sastrería."

"A good salad with Mutxamel tomatoes and quality salted fish pairs well with any rice dish. Then there's the coca de escalibada, our artichokes, and a good fish from the Alicante fish market. We have such a strong culinary tradition that it's very difficult to choose. Let's not forget the Jijona nougat either."

"I'm an expert in rice dishes, I love them in all their forms, both making and eating them. From rabbit and snail rice to Iberian secret with mushrooms. Also, salted fish."