From the sea to the embers: sardines are best with a little weight

Popular wisdom has it that ‘the son of a fish can swim’. In João's case, there were ten children, six boys and four girls. Although they all grew up at sea, only two took the helm. João is one of the many fishermen we meet in the Port of Leixões at daybreak. We see him arrive with his freshly caught fish. He tells us that we were lucky, that ‘today was a good day, a happy day, because we all caught sardines, but some days we don't take anything home’. 

Born in Matosinhos, it was in these waters that João learnt the art of seining, which allows you to catch a large quantity of fish in one go. ‘The fishermen start by locating the sardine, using seagulls and sonar, and when they've found it they throw the net into the sea.’ This large net forms a circle, ‘a fish belly’, around the shoal. After positioning the net, the fishermen pull the ropes that close it around the shoal, preventing the sardines from escaping. The net is then raised to the surface and pulled up so that the sardines are transferred to the ‘storage vats’, boxes filled with ice that keep them cool until they are unloaded in the harbour. All this work is done by many hands, it's ‘a team effort’, says João.

The fishermen learn to observe nature and respect its changes, facing challenges such as sea waves. ‘The biggest difficulty is when “the water moves”, when there's a current; if the water “runs”, that lead in the net can't get to the bottom and the sardine goes under and says goodbye,’ he says, laughing. Another challenge of purse seining is the unintentional capture of other species. ‘We can't control what goes into the net and sometimes we have to throw fish away,’ he laments, pointing out ‘another challenge’: ‘The dolphins, which the fishermen call “porpoises”, chase the sardines and get in the way,’ he complains. ‘Nowadays, with the help of electronic devices, they can be avoided, but we've had them,’ he recalls. ‘In Figueira da Foz, for example, it's happened that we couldn't get onto the bar and were left outside.’ That's why, to ‘avoid surprises’, it's necessary to watch the sea and know when the weather is favourable for fishing. ‘There's no set time and it depends on various factors,’ differing from region to region. ‘Here, in the north of the country, the best time to fish is at night, because the waters are calm and the fish are more active, or at dawn, at sunrise, because the light blinds the fish,’ he explains.

On São João, bread loves the drip form sardines 

‘The sardine should have a firm texture, but it should be juicy and soft. It should have a bright colour and if it smells of the sea, it's a sign of freshness,’ explains João. And, contrary to the saying that the sardine should be ‘small’, he says that it should be ‘big and fat’. It's in June, around St John's Day, that ‘it's ready, but we have to let it fatten up!’

Fireworks, even on the grill! 

During this month, fish restaurants prepare the coals for the sardines, which must be ‘fresh and clean’. All they have to do is add coarse salt and lemon and ‘they are served with bread, which absorbs their juiciness’. Then it's time to celebrate the city's festivities.