Seafood cooking demonstration with Juanba Agreda at the Mercat de Provençals
To mark Catalonia’s status as World Region of Gastronomy 2025, the “Mercats de forquilla” programme features the participation of restaurants from among the Barcelona Restaurant Awards winners and runners-up who offer live demonstrations, showing audiences how to prepare dishes that combine local products and modern techniques.
On 17 May at 6.00 pm, as part of the Little Market of Markets, chef Juanba Agreda, culinary director of the restaurant Terraza Martínez, was one of the stars of the first show cooking session in the programme «Mercats de forquilla. Barcelona. Authentic cuisine. Local Pantry», an initiative that showcases sustainable, traditional and innovative Catalan cuisine.
In this session, Agreda prepared two iconic dishes in front of a live audience using fresh garden products and seafood: Espàrrec de Gavà (white asparagus) with seafood salad and rock mussels with toasted garlic. With simplicity and respect for the ingredients, he demonstrated the value of proximity.
More prestigious voices
He was accompanied by Pau Santamaría (Santamaría Gastronomic) and Laura Saurina (Peixos Frederic). Santamaría is carrying on the philosophy of his father, the legendary chef Santi Santamaría, and works only with local, seasonal products. “We are in too much of a hurry, and this forces farmers to bring crops forward”, he lamented, calling for a model that respects natural seasons.
On the other hand, Laura Saurina, director of operations at Peixos Frederic, highlighted the commitment to high quality, sustainable fishing, such as the live shrimps from Palamós that are transported with oxygen to guarantee maximum freshness. She also warned of how climate change is affecting production cycles, such as the mussels from the Delta.
A programme that connects us with what we eat
The Mercats de forquilla programme will be visiting a number of markets and culinary events over the course of 2025, such as the Gastronomic Forum Barcelona, Market of Markets and Terra i Gust, and will be serving up new show cooking sessions featuring restaurateurs who have won awards for their quality and commitment to the territory. A unique opportunity to discover how cuisine can be a driver of sustainability, food justice and local economy.
Upcoming sessions:
- 27 September (Terra i Gust) – Dishes with meaning and commitment with Casa Amàlia.
- 18 October (Market of Markets) – The voice of experience with Petit Comité.
- 3-5 November (Gastronomic Forum) – Signature Mediterranean Flavour with Agreste.
- 29 November (Mercat Bon Pastor) – Let’s eat the neighbourhood with Echegaray.