immense reigning behind Photos: Martín Brunella
Eat fish “on the boat” and shellfish “on the boat”. Discover wild beaches and learn about the activity of a pier that beats to the rhythm of the tides. All of this can include a walk through Saint Anthonythat town that is the head of the town and is located just 15 km from the caves. A place where there are no gadgets to attract tourists and that It has the charm of the authentic, because it is 100% real. From the rusticity of its coast to the simplicity of its people.
Is that San Antonio is fishingThey are boats and it smells of the deep sea, from which arises from the boxes that arrive at the port with the fresh catches. They are beaches of dense sand and calm waters, which rise little by little and they reveal the multiplicity of shells that shine from the bottom, as if they were gems. They are little crabs approaching the shore and foam bubbling on the muddy bed in which the feet sink, with intense pleasure.
“As a boy I lived across the street. The beaches were my patio, and they had the names of the neighbors who were there. That of Churrarin, that of Don Sajarchuk… Right now these beaches on the dock have no name, and one names them that way, remembering their people,” said Adrián, who Together with his family, he opened a food stall. and still does not detach from this coastal corner
The place is close to the Heleno Arcángel pierin those concrete shelters where handicrafts made with snails used to be sold. Now several have changed their business, and house the best gastronomy in the area. At least three of them are dedicated to the sale of fish and shellfish. And they are so good that they compete in flavor and freshness, literally provoking passions among the gourmet public. It’s that people come for him mouth to mouthfascinated by the comments of how rich and abundant it is to eat, for almost half of what they ask for in Las Grutas.
And, even if they don’t know it, because of the magic of the marketing that they manage, both Adrián and the rest of the stallholders. To conjure it, it is enough for them show the merchandise fresh off the boatand tell how they will turn it into the filling of some empanadas with hake, rooster fish and who knows if “some pomfret”.
“This rooster is so good that in some restaurants they sell it to you as haddock”Juan, who is the other’s cousin and an expert cook, lets go mischievously. “And the prawns? – Reinforces- A boy from Ushuaia came who did not eat fish, we showed him this and he left drunk, he wanted to try everything, ”he assured.
In the stalls you eat meters from the beach, and the air and the sun are part of the plate. That may be why everything seems richer. And one checks ‘in situ’ the traceability of those shellfish that is about to be eaten. Because he saw how the boatman left them, who winked at Adrián and greeted the girl, who is his daughter, before dropping the crate, which was still splashing with seawater.
A separate paragraph deserves hake. That “usual” fish, which is like a warhorse. Of course, what is eaten here has nothing to do with those unpalatable pieces, which crumble just looking at them. This one is bigger, that’s why it’s called ‘merluzón’, and it has a firm and compact meat that surprises with its texture. They sell it on the plate, with fries or Russian salad, for $2,500.
After lunch the walk invites. Facing the beach there is a succession of tin and wooden houses, which were previously occupied by those who worked on the railway. The charm continues to envelop everything when touring the neighborhood. And some of those trains that no longer run also have inactive ships, which are anchored in a sector of the dock.
Everything that is no longer stirs its ghosts in the area. But nostalgia is hazy and sepia, so there’s no room for that sentiment here. The green of the poplars, the intense gold of the sand and the sky highlighting the red hulls of some ships tell us about something else. Of the persistence of the beautiful, which says ‘free stone’ when you see the shore lined with kids splashing around and looking for crabs.
“It is the tranquility. That is why many prefer to come to these beaches” Adrián opined, moments before, when inviting his dishes. Who knows. There is something wild that he calls and that seduces. Although the sea is not imposing as in other places, and forms a serene estuary that moves at the whim of the tides.
The tour along the coast can cover the “Los tamariscos” spa, which is in front of a bus terminal and in line with an amphitheaterin which shows are presented on some nights.
The “Fiesta de la Marea” is usually organized there, a popular celebration that this year, as happened last summer, will take place at the end of February.
To schedule? The unmissable minced seafood that offers the position of Adrián, who is called “Doña Rosa”. Includes empanadas (hake and roosterfish), battered prawns, squid rings, French fries and other garlic delicacies. For $5,500 eat 3 and snack 4 (A piece of information, in Las Grutas a similar snack for two people does not go below $7,000). If you want to order it for 6 or 7, it will cost $8,500.
Las Fish empanadas are the summer hit among tourists, the dozen is $2000 and the average $1000. The squid rings, another must-see, cost $2,000 a portion.
to take into account
* Close to the “Heleno Arcángel” pier there is a succession of stalls that offer snail crafts and the best fish and shellfish.
* The food stalls are “Susymar”, “El tiburon” and “Doña Rosa”. All are characterized by rich, fresh and cheap. They elaborate with fish obtained ‘a pie de barco’ and shellfish ‘a pie de la lancha’, for these reasons its flavors are incomparable.
* At the “Doña Rosa” gastronomic stand, led by Adrián Rubio and his family, you can get plated hake with Russian salad or French fries for $2500the fish empanadas (they have hake, roosterfish and pomfret) are $2,000 a dozen and $1,000 a half
* The squids come out $2000 a portion.
* An unmissable is the seafood mince. The portion is abundant- eat 2 and bite 3- and It costs $1,500 less than anywhere in Las Grutas, in which they are achieved for $7000. Here for $5,500 you eat empanadas, battered prawns, hake sticks, squid rings, seafood with garlic, and French fries. A luxury.
* The pier beaches are wild and charming. Closer to the center is the Los Tamariscos spa, which stands out for its little straw umbrellas, ideal for sheltering from the sun.
* Adrián’s gastronomic stand is called “Doña Rosa” in honor of his grandmother. Those who cook are her aunt Graciela and her cousin Juan, while her daughter Martina She is a waitress and a kitchen assistant.
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