Escabeche originated in Persia, spread throughout the Mediterranean, and became a fundamental technique in Spain. It then travelled the world. Vicky Sevilla, from Arrels* (Sagunto, Valencia), is in love with this technique, "one of the pillars of gastronomic tradition". "Without tradition, there can be no avant-garde", she declared emphatically. And she proved it in her opening speech on the second day of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España with four dishes, including dessert, in which this technique played a leading role. "In long menus, it allows us to balance and nuance the flavours", he added.

With the help of his team, he began his defence with a starter based on pollo a l'ast (grilled chicken). "It's very important for us to use 100% of the product and humble products to reduce costs", says the chef from Sagunto. The marinade is made with vinegar, water, oil, and the collagen from the chicken itself, and is rich in spices and aromatic herbs. It is served warm in a small glass and topped with a crispy chicken skin. You know, don't throw anything away.

Sevilla's second proposal was a seasonal vegetable dish, another "pillar" of his cuisine. On this occasion, he presented a béarnaise, in which the tarragon vinegar is replaced by a pumpkin pickle and a little sage to "give it personality". She completes the dish with diced pumpkin, pickled strips of this vegetable, an emulsion of egg yolk, and spicy saffron and seeds.

Thirdly, the Valencian chef presented one of her favourite fish: red mullet. "I like to present it cured with salt and sugar, blowtorched on the skin side, and a little lime", she explains. He presented it with a demi-glace of the red mullet itself, a carrot romesco, a sauerkraut with the carrot, and an orange and passion fruit gel. "To finish, we use a pâté marinade, made from the inside of the red mullet. We don't throw anything away in this house", says Sevilla.

Finally, for dessert, there was a trout ice cream with a base of carrots, orange, and butter, accompanied by the trout's own roe and Raifort yoghurt puree, and a blanched and roasted mini carrot with butter and hot spices. To finish, a wafer of the trout's own skin. At Arrels, nothing goes to waste.