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SERGI AROLA

“Sustainability is not a philosophy, it’s a matter of common sense”

Although he is described as one of the most avant-garde chefs on the international culinary scene, Sergi Arola doesn’t like the term “avant-garde,” as he feels it’s too ambiguous. “I’d rather people said I produce contemporary, heartfelt and, above all, urban cuisine”.

One of the ingredients he is most concerned about including in all of his dishes is “sustainability”. In the restaurant he runs in the centre of Madrid, La Broche, the acclaimed Catalan chef welcomes Oceana to tell us what sparked off his concern about the state of the seas, and how this concern informs his daily work both in and out of the kitchen.

What are the components you look for in a good dish?

The main thing is that people like them, but I also put in a good dose of self-criticism. I think dishes need to be adapted to the season and what’s available at the market. For example, it would never occur to me now to use fish out of season.

How do you transfer this concern for the oceans into your daily work?

It’s obvious that people aren’t going to come to my restaurant to listen to a lecture. But what I can do is make sure I use the right products in the kitchen throughout the production chain – ones that are not out of season, that don’t come from destructive fishing practices, or that have not been caught in a protected zone or nature reserve.

What happens when a customer comes to La Broche to eat tuna but can’t find it on the menu?

We give them a full explanation of the reasons why they don’t see – or will ever see – tuna on the menu, and that’s because we’re decimating them, we’re killing the species off. And usually people understand. I think a lot of the time there’s not enough information available to people so that they can really understand the critical state that our oceans are in.

Can you take the concept of sustainability beyond avoiding eating certain products?

I think that more than a philosophy, sustainability is a matter of common sense. We should be respecting the seasons, not just in the case of fish, but for all products. It doesn’t make any sense to have fillet steak all year round, and we shouldn’t be able to eat red bream or hake whenever we feel like it. If they’re always offered, that’s something we need to be worried about, because we’ll just exhaust the product. I don’t use the same types of tomato or lettuce all the time either.

Where does your interest in environmental matters come from?

I’ve been scuba diving for some years now. I’ve done quite a few dives in the Mediterranean and I was surprised to discover that the sea can’t regenerate itself at the current rate of exploitation. However, I’ve also seen that if we just take a little care of it, it reacts immediately, which is good news.

It is more expensive to eat sustainable fish?

As far as I’m concerned, ‘expensive’ is eating industrially-made bread with those hams and cheeses made of paste, which are sold at 2 or 3 euros, when they actually cost 20 cents. We’ve grown up assuming that fish is an everyday foodstuff that everyone can afford, but it can’t be affordable anymore because, quite simply, we’re devastating fishing grounds. For example, it’s much more expensive to eat sushi in Japan than here in Spain. It’s so cheap to eat sushi in some places here that you have to ask yourself exactly what it is you’re eating.

What would be a ‘suitable’ fish dish to order this summer?

Sardines, without a doubt, and it’s also a fish that can be sustained all year round.

Any particular recipe?

Obviously, “Oceana Sardines”! I hope you enjoy them.