Basque Grilled Turbot

Grilled whole turbot is a must when visiting the Basque Country, particularly in the fishing village of Getaria, which is famous for serving grill fish and seafood that has been freshly caught in the Bay of Biscay, and the region’s fizzy white wine, Txakoli de Getaria.

Turbot is a flat fish which is regarded by many chefs as the king of the sea. It has very high amounts of natural gelatin, making it well-suited for grilling whole, with its skin trapping the gelatin as it cooks, keeping the grilled turbot rich and succulent even over high heat.

A sauce made from txakoli wine, cider vinegar, olive oil and salt also known as ‘agua de lourdes’ is drizzled over the turbot while it’s on the grill. This sauce keeps the skin from drying out, and eventually it is emulsified with the cooking juices from the turbot to make a rich pil pil style sauce.