Seasonal produce in Seville: what to eat throughout the year
From almadraba tuna in spring to duck with bitter orange in autumn and winter shellfish: the calendar of Andalusian seasonal produce, from NODO’s kitchen.
At NODO, we do not write the whole menu ourselves: the calendar has its say. Cooking with seasonal produce in Andalusia means accepting that some things happen for only a few weeks each year, and chasing them outside their season betrays their flavour. Here, season by season, is what is truly worth eating in Seville.
This is neither a definitive list nor an absolute truth, because nature follows no fixed schedule. It is an honest guide to when each ingredient is at its best — a moment you should not miss.
Spring: almadraba tuna crosses the Strait
Spring has a date marked in red for every Andalusian chef. From late April to June, bluefin tuna passes the coast of Cádiz — Barbate, Zahara, Conil and Tarifa — on its migration from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It is caught using almadraba, a net-fishing technique more than three thousand years old. The window lasts barely a few weeks, making it an event, rather than just another ingredient.
Over the embers, the belly and loin need very little intervention: a fish with just the right fat content speaks for itself. It is the perfect example of why the season sets the pace.
Summer: the vegetable gardens and coast at their peak
Summer in Seville means tomatoes, peppers, courgettes and aubergines from the fertile Guadalquivir plain around the city. It is also the season for gazpacho and salmorejo, with extra virgin olive oil from the previous harvest still taking the lead. The sea brings oily fish and shellfish from the coasts of Huelva and Cádiz, asking for quick cooking over fire and little else.
Autumn: duck with bitter orange and ember cooking
Autumn calls for deeper flavours. At NODO, it is the season for duck with bitter orange, our most Sevillian dish: the orange that colours the streets of the old town, served with a jus made from the carcass, compote and a raviolo of duck leg and foie gras. It is also the time for meat over embers: cuts such as our chateaubriand of striploin and marinated pluma. Embers and the first cold days belong together: fire as a language, ingredients treated with respect and little more. Autumn at NODO is comforting cooking without compromising on quality.
Winter: shellfish, embers and bitter orange
With the cold, shellfish from the Huelva coast reaches its finest expression: oysters, scallops and lobster cooked over embers. Seville’s bitter orange remains a leading ingredient. From December to February it creates iconic scenes in the city centre, and for centuries it has travelled to England to become marmalade; in the kitchen, it expresses our identity. Winter also brings dishes that need time: stews, broths and patient cooking.
Cook with the calendar, not against it
This is the idea behind memory and fire: wait for an ingredient’s moment and treat it with respect. That is why our menu changes, and why a spring visit and an autumn visit will not taste the same. We believe seasonal eating is the most honest way to cook what our land gives us.
NODO opens soon in Seville’s Santa Cruz neighbourhood, with a cuisine that follows the rhythm of land and sea. Follow us at @nodo.restaurante and discover the highlights of each season.