Martín Berasategui on hake, the sea and respect for the catch

Martín Berasategui speaks with the quiet authority of a man who has spent decades understanding the relationship between sea and kitchen. In a new film, the chef reflects on a single ingredient: hake from Burela, in Galicia. A great plate of merluza, he suggests, begins not in the dining room or even at the stove, but far before, in the work of those who fish the waters with knowledge and care.

The hake in question comes from Merluza de Burela, sourced with precision from the Galician coast. Berasategui speaks of respect for the product as something foundational, not incidental. The fishermen know their waters, understand the seasons, work with a discipline that demands recognition. What arrives at his kitchen is the result of that labour, that respect, that intimate knowledge of where the fish come from and how it has been caught.

This is not a story about technique or innovation, though Berasategui’s kitchen excels at both. Rather it is a meditation on the origins of flavour itself: the moment when the sea, the skill of those who work it, and the chef’s vision meet on a plate. Hake, simple and profound, becomes the vehicle for that conversation.

The film captures Berasategui in his kitchen, surrounded by the photographs and memories that mark his years of work and his philosophy. He speaks of the bond between chef and supplier, between the ocean’s generosity and the kitchen’s responsibility. The merluza represents something essential: not merely an ingredient, but a relationship between worlds.

For those interested in understanding how ingredient sourcing shapes the work of one of Spain’s most accomplished chefs, the film offers an intimate glimpse. It is available through Martín Berasategui’s channels and serves as a reminder of the seafaring traditions that sustain Galician cuisine.

Imagery courtesy of Martín Berasategui (@martinberasategui).