Playa Candela wins the ninth Malaga sardine competition organised by SUR

Food and Drink

Restaurante Antonio received the People’s Choice Award and Restaurante Narval the Comerco Award during the final held at the Balneario in Malaga

Cristina Jiménez

It may seem like a simple technique at first glance, but it is quite an art form. To prepare a good espeto of sardines, you ... have to choose the best ingredients, thread the fish onto the skewer, control the heat of the embers and not under or overcook, so that the skin is crispy and the flesh juicy. It is a task that requires a great deal of skill and experience, as demonstrated by the participants in the 9th Ruta del Espeto Final. The young Javier Vílchez, from Playa Candela beach bar, prepared an espeto with care, patience and excellence, which saw him crowned the winner of this year's event.

The aroma is unmistakable: salt, firewood and the sea - a scent that permeated every corner of El Balneario - Baños del Carmen, the venue that hosted the grand finale of the ninth Ruta del Espeto. The aim was clear: to showcase the sardine espeto, one of the defining features of Malaga’s culinary heritage.

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  • The Comercio prize went to Restaurante Narval. (Marilú Báez)

    Alongside him, leading professionals from the sector contributed their palates and expertise, including: Leonor García Agua, director of Sabor a Málaga - Málaga provincial council; Azahara Molina, Trade Marketing at Heineken; Samira Alaoui, from El Balneario; Pablo Castillo, from Comerco; and Alberto Gómez, chief reporter of culture and gastronomy at Diario SUR.

    The criteria for scoring the finalists left no room for improvisation. The experts meticulously assessed four key areas: preparation of the raw ingredients, cooking temperature, flavour and presentation.

    Major prizes

    The hard work and endurance on the boat paid off handsomely. The establishment that won the judges' prize was awarded an advertising campaign in SUR's gastronomy supplement Málaga at La Mesa, valued at 3,000 euros. Meanwhile, the public’s favourite will receive 1,000 euros to be spent on an advertising campaign. Comerco also presented a special award recognising the care, respect for the product and technique of the best ‘amoragaor’, the name given to the sardine chefs.

    With the judges' final verdict announced and the awards presented on the beach, the event brings a fitting conclusion to a festival which, year after year, stokes the embers to keep the flame of Malaga’s popular culture alive.