[Spain: Getaria] 1* Elkano - Best Turbot in the World

July 15, 2018

[Spain: Getaria] 1* Elkano - Best Turbot in the World

Rating: ❤❤❤❤1/2 (4.5/5)

As we made our way from Bilbao to San Sebastián this time, we stopped by the pretty seaside town of Getaria to have lunch at Restaurante Elkano! The family restaurant is known for its seafood and especially famous for its turbot. We actually had a slight car accident right before our meal which dampened our spirits a bit, but the exceptional seafood managed to cheer us back up.

The most famous dish here is the turbot grilled over oak charcoal which is served whole and with nothing else other than olive oil and sea salt. It was a simple dish and the result was a perfectly-cooked fish with just a hint of smokiness - it was indeed the best turbot I've ever tasted in my life.

A lot of people draw similarities between Ibai and Elkano; I feel that the food at both places are equally good but Elkano had a better dining environment with a very classy interior while Ibai was more casual and homey.

We loved the Kokotxas (hake cheeks) at Ibai so we didn't hesitate to order them at Elkano. You can have it in three different textures here - grilled, battered, or with pil pil sauce. The best thing of course is to try all three.

The star of the show was the Grilled Turbot (€72/kg). I think their smallest fish when I was there was a little over 1 kg so with just the two of us, it was hard to try anything else after getting the turbot. That's too bad but I guess that means we have to come back to try other dishes.

After showing us the whole turbot, the staff divided the fish up into different parts for us to try from white side of the turbot to the dark side as well as the areas around the fins.