Spanish Red Tuna Excellence: from Almadraba to Premium Aquaculture

It is known as oro rojo (red gold); this is the red tuna which is hoisted out of the sea after it is caught in a centuries old method known as the almadraba. Every year between April and May, Spanish fishermen use a system of nets as thousands of tuna cross the Strait of Gibraltar in southern Spain to get from the Atlantic to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean. In the past, fishermen lifted the nets slowly closer to the surface, a process which required great coordination and strength.

Today this process, called the levantá (lifting), has changed to make it easier and more sustainable. Divers swim with the fish and select them one by one before the tuna is extracted from the water in a way which ensures they are not damaged.

Almadraba tuna has tight, firm flesh that turns tender and juicy on the palate, thanks to its generous fat content, a result of the cold waters in which this fish swims. Its flavor is intense yet elegant, stemming from the tuna’s rich diet, while the color ranges from the deep red of the leaner parts to the pinkish hue of the fattier areas—it is never uniform.

Gadira, one of the biggest producers of ultra-frozen red tuna, selects the best fish for their sale. This year the fishermen caught 1,300 tonnes of tuna for the company. “We have a campaign called ‘the jewel of the sea’. Red tuna is a unique product. There are many similar fish but the red tuna is unique,” said Gema Navarro, Gadira’s director of Marketing and Communication. 

Tuna is a giant fish, which can measure up to three metres in length, and almost every part is used. The favourite cuts are sirloin, the tarantelo which is part of the belly and the ventresca, which is a larger part of the stomach. These parts are selected principally because they have a large fat content which is especially important in canned food, said Ms. Navarro.   

Preserves are a small part of Gadira’s business as 80% of sales are of deep-frozen tuna, which allows almadraba tuna to retain all of its properties in an optimal way. But it uses tuna grain roe, the fish’s eggs which are preserved in olive oil. It is typically used in salads and with pasta. One of the more unusual conserves which Gadira sells is the almadraba tuna milk roe which is conserved in olive oil. It has an intense taste which is described as for the “more curious palates”. Ms. Navarro said this is usually used as a condiment on salads or with a tomato or pepper dressing.

A method of salting which dates from the Roman and Phoenician era is used in the towns of Cádiz in southern Spain and employed by Gadira to preserve some tuna conserves. Japan was an important export market but now only accounts for 2% of sales, as this country now buys directly from Almadrabas (between a 30-50% of the total production) but other destinies for Gadira’s red tuna have surged. Now Gadira’s principal export markets are Switzerland, France and Germany for deep-frozen tuna. The company plans to expand into the European countries where it is already present and wants to expand into Britain and Portugal. “These countries are of great interest due to their growing demand for high-quality products and their appreciation for traditional gastronomy. Furthermore, the European market increasingly values sustainability and product traceability, areas in which Gadira stands out,” Ms. Navarro said.

There are more companies that are traditionally related to Almadraba tuna fishing. Petaca Chico (from Barbate, Cádiz) has been involved in almadraba red tuna fishing for years and is well-respected for its commitment to quality and sustainability. They also deep-frozen their tunas for export. While Herpac, a family-owned company also from Barbate, they are involved in both the fishing and the processing of almadraba red tuna. They are well known for their tuna-based gourmet products like salazones as mojama (salt-cured tuna) and other preserved items. Herpac exports its products to numerous countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Italy, France, Canada, Australia, Estonia, and the Netherlands.

Innovative (and excellent) aquaculture

Balfegó, which is the world’s number one producer of fresh red tuna, uses a different method to 'fish' for tuna than the ancient almadraba used in Cádiz area. It is all about sustainable and modern aquaculture: the family company runs huge fishing complexes in L’Ametlla de Mar, a town in Catalonia, in Here the fish are grown, extracted from the sea at its optimal fat point, using the ikejime Japanese method, making it stress-free and painless for the fish.

They sell 20 parts of the fish, using 90% of the tuna. From here it exports fresh red tuna to 45 countries around the world. The most important export market is the United States, followed by China, the U.K, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Peru.

Joan Grau, director of Marketing and sales, said: “We are the number one company in fresh red tuna in the world. We are a family firm of five generations. We sell more than 20 parts of the tuna. It arrives fresh in all parts of the world. It is transported in a plane within 24 or 36 hours. The meat needs two days to mature. It arrives perfect to eat. It is well conserved in ice. We recommend that it needs 72 hours to mature.”

This year, the company caught 3,000 tonnes of tuna, a quota which is regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), the industry’s ruling body. Each part of this huge fish is suitable for a different dish. The belly or the flanks is a staple of sushi or sashimi as it is the part with the highest content of unsaturated fats (omega-3). It is the pinkest and sweetest so can also be grilled, griddled or pickled.

Another cut is called ‘secret’ which comes from inside the fish’s mouth.  It has an intense flavour and goes well with sweet and sour or spicy seasonings. It can be served in sushi or as a carpaccio. Balfegó works with a series of Michelin chefs including the Spaniard stellar chef Martin Berasategui, and Hideki Matsuhisha, of the Michelin-starred Koy Shunka sushi restaurant in Barcelona and Andre Noboyuki, of Restaurante San Omakase which is in Rio de Janeiro, also awarded with one Michelin star, to name a few examples.The company also holds Balfegó chef competitions in locations across Europe, including Belgium, Portugal and Italy.

Preserves are made from the belly which Balfegó hopes to export but at present this is only on sale in Spain. It is also exporting tuna soups outside Spain. Salad is always good to combine with a tuna preserve or on a coca, the Spanish flatbread, which is dough, usually made with water, olive oil, flour and yeast. Crude tuna is best suited for sushi.  

  Another example of the finest aquaculture is Fuentes, based in Murcia. After the fishing season, the red tuna caught are kept in aquaculture farms located in El Gorguel and San Pedro del Pinatar, both in Murcia. There, they recover the fat they lost during their journey. Once this stage is complete, it begins the demanding task of extraction. It’s an essential process to ensure that this prized fish arrives in perfect condition to tables all around the world. Miguel Ángel Robles is the man who leads this operation: “It’s one of the most intense times of the year. The entire team works hard to guarantee the quality of the process and, of course, the well-being of the tuna. Our main goal is to provide the best product to our customers.”

The extraction process follows, as in the case of Balfegó, the Japanese ikejime technique, which minimizes the suffering of the fish and preserves its quality. From the processing ships, the bluefin tuna is transported in large containers to the port of Cartagena. From there, it is shipped to some of the best restaurants around the world, particularly in Japan, where this fish is highly revered. It seems the appetite for (Spanish) red tuna, either from almadraba or from modern aquaculture, is insatiable.