All
The
about
Costa de la luz JULY 2025
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THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
Southern Spain’s most evocative coastline is bright, breezy and brilliant for walking, eating and watersports, writes Jon Clarke
CONTRASTS: From the arches of the Jewish quarter of Vejer to the extraordinary dishes at La Traina and (right) an inlet on the journey between Zahara and Barbate
Recipe for success
W
HILE it’s blowing a hoolie outside and well over 35 degrees in the sun, I’m sitting in deep shade and wondering what amazing culinary creation is going to appear next on my table. This is La Traina, in Zahora, one of the true dining secrets of Andalucia. Tucked away down a scruffy potholed lane somewhere between Vejer de la Frontera and Zahara de los Atunes you are not going to find it by accident.
By Jon Clarke And don’t expect silver service and menus in English or German…This is, after all, the Costa de la Luz - the Coast of Light - and a million miles away from its nearby cousin the Costa del Sol. Indeed the costas in general. This is a coastline of castles and carpaccios, calas and corvina (one of its
best local fish)... the perfect blend of nature and its best ingredients. This is a coastline of gems; historic Tarifa, the bridgehead for the Moors in Spain, and a crossing point for centuries and beautiful Vejer, with its cobbled streets and dynamic restaurant scene. This is a coastline of laid Continues on next page
THE Cos ta de la Luz’s celi prowess is down to the locabrated culinar y which produce some of the l surroundings, bes t quality ingredients in the world. The obvious examples are she rry, fish and the wonder ful beef from the classic cows, which you often see wan brown ‘retinto’ the hills and even on the bea dering around in Of course the amazing ‘almches. tuna (top), caught nearby (aboadraba’ bluefin ve), is spectacularly good and the vegetables also of a high quality, par ticu available are Another reason is the type larly from Conil. of tourists who visit the coa which has seen a distinctly mor st, rivals on the Cos ta del Sol. Thee refined crowd than its nearby y dem and quality and are prepared to spend to get it.