This morning the Adán Martín Auditorium welcomed one of the essential references of modern Portuguese cuisine, chef Rui Paula, who conveys the memory of his origins to his recipes, a memory inspired by the women in his family. And he does this by preserving flavours, textures, aromas and even colours, transforming them into original creations with which he delights diners at the two DOC restaurants and the Michelin-starred Casa de Chá da Boa Nova he runs in Portugal.

Today Paula regaled Meeting of the Seas with a demonstration that hake is one of those fish that can be used in its entirety, explaining the formulas he employs to use all sections of this delicious fish in his cuisine. He showcooked an impressive recipe which is one of the star attractions on his menu, based mostly around fish and seafood, because "ours is a sea restaurant, for which we have many and varied raw materials. But we also have a huge responsibility to use them to create cuisine on the same level as the magnificent architecture of the Casa de Chá”, he admitted.

And, he adds, they also have a responsibility "to preserve our oceans by making top-quality food, but also sustainable food. That is why zero wastage is an important issue, and we practise this with many of our recipes - with hake, for example, because we use all of it". He cooked a recipe as tasty as it was aesthetic, with a wedge of hake with a crispy skin crown in garlic and barnacle mayonnaise, with a composition conjuring up a beach and the ocean, with fish roe playing the role of the sand; the foam of the waves depicted by the bone stock, and crispy marine plants as additional sea leftovers.

“Simplicity as the ultimate phase of sophistication, and memory as a source of inspiration to create recipes with soul and a wealth of flavour" are some of the premises of the master Portuguese chef to astound his diners. And he does this with his menu, 'Across seas never sailed before', inspired in the poetry of Luis de Camões, seeking out the sea in all its dimensions, exploring the limits of creativity and always using the best produce.