Diego Schattenhofer at the VIII Encuentro de los Mares: new horizons for seafaring cuisine

New horizons for seafaring cuisine, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean

Casa de Piedra, Garachico (Tenerife), Tuesday 5 May 2026.

From 3 to 6 May, Tenerife once again became the engine room of the conversation about the sea. The VIII Encuentro de los Mares — “Meeting of the Seas” — was held under the motto “Capital Natural Azul” (Blue Natural Capital): the value born of seas and oceans. This time the congress did not come to us, and we like to tell it as it is: in 2024 Hotel Villa Cortés and Taste 1973 were a venue of the VI edition, while in 2026 the congress moved to the north of the island and we attended as guests.

Diego took part as a speaker on the panel “Nuevos horizontes de la cocina marinera” (New horizons for seafaring cuisine), on Tuesday 5 May from 11:00 to 11:30, at Casa de Piedra. He was joined by Pablo Vicari (Elkano, in Getaria, and Cataria, in Chiclana de la Frontera), Gil Fernandes (Fortaleza do Guincho, in Cascais) and Benito Gómez (Bardal, in Ronda). Four different ways of looking at the same fish: the live-fire grill of the Cantabrian, the Portuguese Atlantic, the Andalusian hills that cook whatever comes in from the coast, and a Canarian Atlantic that has spent years looking for value where no one else saw it.

Putting a price on the sea to be able to defend it

The congress is organised by Vocento Gastronomía and its main sponsor is the Cabildo de Tenerife, through Turismo de Tenerife and its brand “Tenerife! despierta emociones”. It was spread across the Auditorio del Gran Hotel Taoro, in Puerto de la Cruz, Bodegas Monje, Casa de Piedra and the Plaza de La Libertad.

The idea running through the congress was well summed up by the press: the sea is worth far more alive than dead. Economist Sandra Damijan put figures to that intuition — the ocean economy generates jobs and is worth over US$2.2 trillion — and the presentations noted that mangroves protect more than 210 million people. The venues hosted, among others, marine biologist Carlos Duarte, double Olympic champion Theresa Zabell, researcher Núria Marbà and chefs Alexandre Couillon, Josean Alija and Aitor Arregi.

Creativity is born from knowledge of the ocean

From Diego’s talk, Vinetur picked out an idea that sums up our trade rather well: that creativity is born from knowledge of the ocean. He spoke of working with underrated local species, adapting them to the customer’s taste and so opening up new opportunities for the fishing sector. It is not a new line for us: it is the same drive that pushed us to research fish maturation in Tenerife and to keep pulling the thread of Canarian gastronomy wherever the market still isn’t looking.

That work is done from a small kitchen in the south of the island — Taste 1973, Michelin star since 2024 and Repsol Sun since 2023 — and that is why these gatherings matter: they seat those who fish, those who research and those who cook at the same table.

Ten moments and an aperitif

Two days after it closed, Diego posted an Instagram recap of the congress in ten key moments: “Alexandre Couillon and the Erika oyster”, “Sardine, mackerel, horse mackerel: the humble luxury of the sea”, “Carlos Medeiros: Portuguese soul in Nordic cuisine”, “Carlos Duarte and the value of the Capital Natural Azul”, “New horizons for seafaring cuisine, seaweed as the ingredient of the future”, “Jacopo Ticchi: the Adriatic, using the fish from head to tail”, “Gastronomy as a megaphone for the fishing industry” and “How to reconnect the consumer with produce from the sea”. And he closed with: “We talked about all of that. And this is just the aperitif.” In the same post he linked the podcast recorded with RadioVoz about the congress.

In the testimonials section of the official programme, another line of his was recorded, which best describes how one leaves a congress like this: “Exciting days in the company of so many stars, people who are shaping the future of cooking, whether with pen and paper or through the work at the stove.”

Read the full report on the congress at Vinetur: Tenerife puts a price on the oceans at the Encuentro de los Mares. The Turismo de Tenerife corporate blog and Sol del Sur Tenerife also covered these days.

Everything About the VI Encuentro de los Mares in Tenerife: A Current and Future Approach Between the Ocean and Health

The X Fish Fair in Los Cristianos: Seafaring Tradition and Gastronomic Delight