Entrails, bones, tails, scales, skin scraps, meat scraps, salt, blood, other juices… Have you ever thought about how much waste is created by the anchovy industry, i.e. its salting and curing process? Canning companies catch or purchase large quantities of fish, salt them for curing, and sell their fillets at the end of the process. The underlying problem is that this process of enzymatic protein breakdown, which takes months, through contact with salt produces some by-products that were traditionally thrown away or used to make fishmeal and animal feed. Why not pursue the essence of the Mediterranean, umami squared, and put this potential treasure to gastronomic use?
This question and this challenge was asked by Pere Planagumà, the chef who held the position of head chef at Les Cols when the restaurant in Olot (Girona) received its two Michelin stars, in 2018 during a visit to the facilities of the Anxoves de l's. Scale. There he observed the backlog with the prism of an entrepreneur. Although it has finally entered into a collaboration with Anxoves El, the company has abandoned the anchovy, creating a range of new, Mediterranean, sustainable and circular flavors. A model for sharing.”
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Today, out of the desire to make the preparations more tasty, Planagumà uses a liquid fraction, undiluted salt during the salting process and the spine of the animal to form a catalog of products intended to expand the range of aromas and flavors used when seasoning dishes available . “They are unique on the market and provide glutamic acid in its purest form. All food transformation processes that come into contact with them produce a more intense and deeper spectrum of flavors. The chef achieves a more unique and authentic proposal, which is also tastier. When prepared, it gains flavor and intensity,” he emphasizes, and is proud of “creating added value in our territory through gastronomic creativity.”
Pere Planagumà, ideologist of Escatafood and its products. Gianluca Battista
It's the Phoenicians' fault
The activity in El Blue Drums with brine, alternating a layer of salt and another layer of whole raw anchovies. The barrel is closed, a weight is placed on the lid to press the inside (this makes it easier to dry out and bleed out), and it is only opened again after a few months. Then the fish is saved, which has acquired a reddish color and the desired aroma, and the mixture formed by melting its own juice with the salt is discarded; Of course it is thrown away, unless, like Planagumà, you come up with the happy idea of using it to make a contemporary garum.
Discarded anchovies used in Escatafood.Gianluca Battista
“Escata is a mixture of different phases of salting the anchovies, thickened (the ratio of ingredients is reduced to “anchovy essence” – water, salt, anchovies -, maltodextrin, xanthan gum) and bottled with a treatment that guarantees their food safety.” , the chef clarifies. The result is certainly pleasing, a useful substitute for salt and seems a far cry from the memory of the original garum, that elixir of putrefaction (in the words of the writer Harold McGee) that was already present in times of Greek splendor The Romans were very popular with many. . Its now disgusting origin should not intimidate the 21st century consumer, because the creation of Planagumà, “developed today for today”, is a reinterpretation of this ancient fermentation technique in which the author himself “appreciates a thousand and one aromatic nuances: truffles, roasted shrimps” . , mature cheese…
Garum sauce from Escatafood.Gianluca Battista
And from the melting pot of memories of “Mediterranean soy” new references with a wide gastronomic application are emerging under the Escatafood umbrella. Starting with Oxygarum, made with Augustus Forum Chardonnay vinegar, ideal for fish preparations, roasts, grilled, chilled, as well as for Asian cuisine, even as a seasoning for sushi rice. And further with Escata Oli, a dressing based on olive oil and Mediterranean Garum, “the perfect combination for seasoning salads, pizzas, roasts, etc.”
Workers in L'Escala, Girona. Gianluca Battista
The salt, which has not dispersed in the barrels after a year in contact with its own garum (El Xillu uses salt from Ibiza and the Ebro Delta), is dried and presented as Escata Sal, “the first umami salt on the Market.” . And one of the most unique transformations remains to be mentioned … The Girona cannery sells salted anchovies and anchovy fillets in olive oil, and it is the extraction of the latter that, following the intervention of the sobadoras, generates an additional by-product. Their careful work consists of separating both loins, cleaning them, trimming them and professionally removing the spines with their hands and using scissors and a tip. The central thorn, dried and ground, is what Pere uses to create a new “spice” he calls Escata Espina. It hides nuances of roasted coffee, roasted shrimp and cocoa and actually makes excellent chocolate sprinkles.
Various products from Escatafood.Gianluca Battista
The limits of this katsoubushi's possibilities have yet to be determined, although he has already dared to explore them with Destil-Lat, a low-alcohol distillate (20%) made from smoked anchovy loin, fennel and turmeric, which he touts as “ideal for cocktails.” dry and slightly bitter.” This means it can be perfectly combined with Negroni and Bloody Mary, for example.
Presence in six countries
With all this, Pere Planagumà has built a small, large, non-televised revolution, a clear example of use and sustainability, already known from the own experience of such renowned colleagues as Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca). who freeze-dries his garum and processes it into tempura, or Albert Sastregener, in whose restaurant Bo.TiC also uses his products. Other establishments such as Ca L'Enric (La Vall de Bianya), Els Tinars (Llagostera) or La Vinoteca (Olot) are part of the customer portfolio of this innovative company, which is already in France, Germany, Italy, Norway and England.
Surface layer of an anchovy release drum. Gianluca Battista
Escatafood, whose products are available in stores such as Rooftop Smokehouse in Barcelona and on websites such as TöuFood, is just one of the current professions of Planagumà, who also works as head chef at Pilar y Juanito, a restaurant in Valencia, Venezuela. , and will soon start a consultancy in Dubai. Among the domestic projects, what stands out is the development of a new specific flavor with all the losses from the Olot market and the expansion of its portfolio with a novelty that also offers an outlet for the anchovy tail and follows the house's maxim: “Escatafood does not apply pressure its raw material suppliers when it comes to the by-products resulting from fish salting, as these must be produced at the place of origin. This point is crucial, otherwise the essence of the circular economy would be destroyed.”
Escata is a “cupage” of different phases of anchovy salting. Gianluca Battista
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