Conil de la Frontera is also famous and very much for its bluefin tuna caught with Almadraba. A method and a fishing that only takes place in the towns of Zahara de los Atunes, Barbate, Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana and Tarifa.
Why? Because it is the only area located in the Strait. the route used by migrating tuna.
In the months of April and May, the Atlantic tuna migrates to the Mediterranean, in search of warmer waters, to spawn and reproduce.
Then the Almadraba begins, a centuries-old artisanal fishing tradition, which began with the Phoenicians in the area, continued the Romans and lasts today.
It consists of an authentic labyrinth of fixed nets in the sea, which guide the tuna to the cod-end where it will be trapped and from there, the boats will practice the levantá (raising), to remove the captured tuna.
The ‘levantá’, the moment in which the fishermen begin to raise the nets and bring their boats to surround the tunas that fight with great force in the water.
Once the nets are raised, the fishermen begin to raise the huge tuna into the boats where they are stored to take them to auction at the fish market.
Tunas that are not yet adults, or do not reach the minimum measures established for their fishing, of course, are returned to their habitat. It is a very controlled activity and they are very strict with the fishing regulations of this species.
From the sea to the table, the blue tuna of the Almadraba is considered the gastronomic jewel of the Atlantic, since it can be used almost all its parts and allows the development of endless recipes.
Every year there is a gastronomic route and a contest where countless bars and restaurants of the town participate. In them you can taste all the dishes that are made in their different forms with this wonderful raw material. This gastronomic route is through the month of May.
The activities developed throughout this month along with the tastings in establishments will involve an authentic celebration of the tuna. Thus, in addition to the more purely gastronomic acts such as the Gastronomic Competition or the Sampling of the “Tapa” that serves as the opening, we can enjoy during that month of music, flamenco, exhibitions, cinema, debates, cooking demonstrations, paddle surfing …
During this month you can also enjoy free dramatized routes, in which those interested who sign up in the Municipal Tourism Office until full capacity can make an entertaining walk through the corners of the historic center more linked to tuna, accompanied by guides of exception, the duchess and the rogue. As a novelty in 2018, the first edition of the “Entre Almadrabas” Festival took place, this year it was dedicated to Japan and its connection with Conil through Almadraba and tuna.