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Noticia - La centolla regresa a los restaurantes de O Grove

The best centola comes back to the restaurants in O Grove

The fishing season starts for this highly valued shellfish of As Rías Baixas, a Christmas essential that this year will be sold under the quality seal Centolo do Grove

The European spider crab season —a shellfish known in Galicia as centola— is officially open on the shores of the province of Pontevedra. On Monday 11th, in the early hours, the Galician fisherman’s fleet started the capture of this crustacean, a true delicacy for the most refined palates and the star of a large part of the incoming Christmas menus inside and outside Galicia.

The European spider crab campaign is the most important of the year for the fleet of O Grove. In addition, this year it will be a special one, since their guild has managed for the quality of their centolos to be officially recognised in fish and seafood markets. Starting this month, this product will be sold under the label "Centolo do Grove", a quality seal that will allow consumers to distinguish the spider crabs of As Rías Baixas from the foreign ones and to be acquainted with the distinctive features that turn the centolo of O Grove into a product of unparalleled quality.

Exaltation events in restaurants

This sea village pays homage to the king of crustaceans in the last months of the year. It is already organising the traditional Xornadas de Exaltación da Centola, a series of events aiming to promote this shellfish outside Galicia and allowing visitors of O Salnés to enjoy the exquisite dishes of this crab in dozens of restaurants.

The port of O Grove is very busy during these days, and so is the association in charge of the event, Empresarios Grovenses de Bens e Servizos (Emgrove). They will present the full event’s programme on November 12th in the Museo da Pesca e a Salgadura, a fishing and salting museum in Punta Moreira. They will travel to León on the 14th to attract new customers in the association Casa de Galicia. Another goal is to advertise the great versatility of this product and, therefore, a cooking demonstration will be offered on the 16 th in A Guarda, with centola paired with cachena cattle.

 

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The centola tour

The activities around the spider crab will keep on until late December. If you like seafood, you can’t miss the Ruta Centoleira, a tour performed on weekends that will allow you to try this delicacy in the local restaurants of the area. The lectures and tasting events will be held almost until Christmas festivities—in fact, O Grove will welcome this festivity with a new Christmas tree decorated with centola shells. In addition, this year the camping O Curro will host the Gran Centolada, another food festival, on December 7th.

During these cold months, tasting the centola in all its exquisite versions is an excellent chance to merge yourself completely into the rich gastronomy of O Salnés, famous inside and outside Galicia for its top quality fish and seafood. The start of the centola season and the promotional activities of Emgrove will make this coveted crustacean accessible to a wide range of public at an affordable price. Do not miss this great opportunity to try one of the most appreciated culinary treasures that the cuisine of As Rías Baixas has to offer.