Viña del Mar Seafood: The Humboldt Current's Bounty
The cold Humboldt Current that flows along Chile's Pacific coast produces the world's most productive fishing grounds; the seafood of Viña del Mar — sea urchin, abalone, centolla crab, and machas — is among the finest in the world
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Erizo (Sea urchin)
The Chilean sea urchin (erizo)—harvested from the cold Pacific near Viña del Mar—has an orange rum of extraordinary richness and sweetness; sea urchin is eaten raw with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil; the quality of Pacific sea urchins near Viña del Mar is comparable to the finest Japanese uni; it is the most famous ingredient in Chilean coastal cuisine
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Machas a la Parmesana
Machas a la parmesana - Chilean razor clams baked with butter, white wine and Parmesan cheese - is the most iconic Chilean seafood preparation; the dish is served in all coastal restaurants from Viña del Mar to Puerto Montt; the combination of the salty clam with the rich butter parmesan sauce is simple and perfect
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Chupe de Mariscos
Chupe de mariscos — a creamy seafood stew of mixed shellfish (clams, mussels, shrimp) in a bread-thickened cream sauce, baked in a clay pot — is the warming coastal food of the Chilean Pacific; the dish requires the freshest seafood and is at its best in restaurants in Viña del Mar and Valparaíso
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Caldillo de Congrio
Caldillo de congrio — a fish soup made with sea eel, potato, tomato, onion and cream — is Chile's most famous seafood dish, immortalized in a poem by Pablo Neruda ('Ode to the Conger Eel Soup'); the dish is the quintessential soup of Chilean coastal culture and is served in fish restaurants in both Viña del Mar and Valparaíso
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Fish markets
The Caleta Portales Fish Market in Valparaíso and the Mercado La Caleta in Viña del Mar are the best places to see the full range of Humboldt Current seafood; the sea lions and pelicans that gather around the fish market to catch scraps are as much an attraction as the shellfish themselves
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Pisco Sour
Pisco sour - a cocktail of pisco (grape brandy), lemon juice, sugar and egg white - is Chile's national cocktail and standard aperitif before a seafood lunch; The debate between Chile and Peru over the origin of pisco is one of the most passionate in South America; the Chilean version (with a sweeter pisco) is subtly different from the Peruvian; the restaurants in Viña del Mar serve both