Mutriku’s Mackerel (Verdel) Fest!

Fishing Port & Town of Mutriku…on a Perfect Spring Day.

When we first arrived in Hondarribia in June 2015, we dutifully scanned a mass of tourist brochures & magazines to identify anything that might be of interest to the Food Hounds. One that stood out was a mackerel festival in the port town of Mutriku in April – so it was duly recorded on our adventure calendar.

As we approached April, we did a bit more research as the tourist brochure stopped at telling us the festival was: (a) in Mutriku, and (b) it was in April. A bit of Googling did indeed confirm the date to be Saturday April 2nd, but other than that (all the info’s in Basque) we knew no more than we did before (time, events, etc…).

Wanting to make the most of the day, we 3 Hounds headed off in the trusty Land Rover (Gertie) shortly after 8AM for Mutriku – a beautiful coastal drive that winds its way through the seaside towns  of Orio, Zarautz, Getaria & Deba. We started to get a bit worried as we entered Mutriku as we fully expected a bit of a traffic bun fight (we’d just driven through one in Deba due to a bike race) and a parking from Hell experience…but nada. Easy peasy. What’s up? Did we get this TOTALLY wrong?

Mackerel Fest Evidence & A Few Of The Locals…

We had a good wander round the port and could see evidence that something was going to happen – but when? No posters were up anywhere, no crowds, no nothing. We decided to stay calm & have a couple of coffees in a picturesque town square which just happened to be by the tourist information office.

A quick consultation with a very helpful & friendly person @ the oficina de tourismo confirmed it was all happening – beginning at roughly noon (after all, it is Spain) the bars & tabernas would start offering FREE mackerel pintxos! There would also be music at one of the squares and some wee accordion marching bands. And it would all culminate with a mackerel BBQ at the port. When we headed back outside to the square, the scene had quickly changed to folks streaming in from every direction with the square filling up & the tabernas ready to go…

Mackerel Pintxos – Free!!! From Top Right: Mackerel Slivers in Oil with a sprinkling of Vincotto; Mackerel, Mayo & Balsamic; Smoked Mackerel & More Mayo & Mackerel

Now Hound #2 is an almost rabid mackerel aficionado – if fresh mackerel is on ANY menu we come across, the mackerel is a done deal order. For me, not so much – I tend to find mackerel a wee bit too much of a fishy fish but hey, I am here at a mackerel fest, in a port town widely known for its very fresh fish – so taste I must. Wow – what a pleasant surprise…Hound #2 was a bit stunned that I actually ate far more mackerel than she did (she scolded me a couple of times for taking more than my ‘fair share’). I think the real key is the level of freshness, which makes all the difference – and fresh this mos def was.

Fest Is Kicking Off In The Square….

We All Join In….Even Billie!

Thanks Mutriku – we had a blast. We rated it a 9 out of 10 day out & we highly recommend the Mackerel Fest if you be in Spain, in April or there abouts.

Insert Mackerel Pintxo Into Mouth, Sip Cerveza, Repeat…Billie Wonders When It’s His Turn.

And not to leave any options unexplored on such a gorgeous day, we made pit stop in Deba so Hound #2 could have a boogie board session, and then on to the Basque Geoparque Flysch Coast walk. Estupendo! Never knew rocks could look so cool…

Basque Flysch Coast