Once again, the island of Tenerife was the venue for this year’s 7th Meeting of the Seas . The event has established itself as a meeting point for scientists, fishers and national and international chefs, bringing together science, sustainability and gastronomy. On this occasion, the Sartún Award recognised the career of the Basque chef Aitor Arregui, who has inherited a family know-how and history that is intimately linked with the sea and cooking.
Aquanaria is a company based in the Canary Islands and a market leader in the Spanish aquaculture sector. The two basic pillars of the company are gastronomy and sustainability and its aim is to offer the best possible alternative to wild sea bass. Respect for the natural environment and the well-being of the sea bass are the priority for those 4 years on average that an Aquanaria sea bass remains in the open sea. The company has achieved a large size, high quality product that is positioned as the sea bass of national and international haute cuisine. This year, once again, Aquanaria has sponsored the Meeting of the Seas, ensuring a conference as interesting as this one takes place in Tenerife.
AN EDITION OF THE MEETING OF THE SEAS WITH THE FOCUS ON SALT
The byline for this year’s 7th Meeting of the Seas, “Salt, science and life,” highlights the value of salt, not only as an essential component in the marine environment, but also as a cultural link between humans and the sea. We learned about the important role of salt through interesting presentations, live cooking demonstrations and round-table discussions. Thanks to Carlos Duarte, Scientific Director of the conference, we were able to learn about the transcendent role of salt in the future of humanity and its uses in obtaining energy, producing hydrogen, obtaining lithium or even its application in construction.
Xabier Agote de Albaola’s talk on his project to build a replica of the Nao San Juan, ,an old Basque whaling ship that will soon be launched, was very well received. AZTI’s Xabier Irigoienwere also appeared, offering some very interesting contributions and debate on the use of mesopelagic organisms. Of course, the situation of the Canary Islands salt mines was discussed, as well as salt and human health. There were also round-table discussions with important topics for debate, such as the state of the oceans and the problems facing the fisheries sector. Another highlightwas the increasingly prominent role of aquaculture at the conference. This year saw an interesting presentation by Rafael Ginés, coordinator of the aquaculture facilities at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Rafael spoke passionately about nutrition in aquaculture and its influence on the organoleptic characteristics of fish.
Presence of spanish and international chefs
But it’s not all about science! As in previous years, the conference also included a significant gastronomic component, featuring presentations and live cooking demonstrations by chefs with special links to the sea in their restaurants. And when it comes to the sea and gastronomy in Spain, who else could top the bill but Ángel León, of the three-Michelin star Aponiente in Cádiz? Ángel announced an exciting plan to incorporate the adjoining marshland as part of the restaurant experience.
Among the other prominent names from the world of gastronomy was Moreno Cedroni, of the two-Michelin star La Madonnina del Pescatore in Senigallia on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Cedroni showed us how he takes advantage of fish bones by creating different shapes and textures. Christopher Haatuft form the Michelin-starred Lysverket in Bergen, Norway, told us his own story with fish, seafood and the essence of Scandinavia. Gil Fernandes of the Michelin-starred Fortaleza do Guincho in Cascais outside Lisbon, took us to the Portuguese coast thanks to his experience with the use of seaweed in cooking.
AQUANARIA AT THE MEETING OF THE SEAS 2025
Aquanaria enjoyed a prominent presence at an event so closely aligned with our business objectives and mission. Juanlu Fernández and Hector Sanz of the two-Michelin starred LÚ Cocina y Alma in Jerez de la Frontera, took us all the way to Jerez and its traditional recipes in a fascinating and entertaining live cooking demonstration, showing us a reinterpretation of sea bass in piriñaca and an Aquanaria sea bass bienmesabe. That same Aquanaria sea bass in piriñaca was one of the star dishes of the fantastic 8-pass gala dinner held at the Taste 1973 restaurant.
Attendees also enjoyed our sea bass on the boat outing, during which Diana Marcelino, chef at the El Secreto de Chimiche in Tenerife, prepared Aquanaria sea bass with rancho canario and cured sea bass with seaweed on a corn purée.
AQUANARIA’S COMMITMENT
It was a pleasure for Aquanaria to participate once again as partners of this unique conference, where the theme of the sea is addressed from different points of view. As the environment in which we carry out our activity, it is of great importance to us and every edition of the conference provides valuable insights and knowledge. The next Meeting of the Seas will again be hosted in Tenerife.
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