A few centuries ago a pirate Almeriense called by the short name of Mustafa ben Yusuf el Magmuzed Din (Al-Borani for his few friends) kicked the Christians over the cliffs into treacherous waters and claimed supremacy of a tiny island off the coast between Malaga and Almeria.. Come to think of it nothing much has changed.Al-Borani fortified the place and installed his garrisons during the Turkish/Ottoman Empire.
. He and his troops discovered rapidly that the “navel of the sea” as they called the island was blessed with appalling weather. The reinforcements became an urgent matter, not against man attack but from the fury of the elements. Centuries later the isle of Alboran is in the news again. After years of bureaucratic wrangles the Alboran and its surrounding waters will be declared a Parque Natural before the end of the year. It only took four years for the penpushers to recognise the extraordinary ecological value of the island and its waters. Certain species of protected marine birds like the Audouin seagull nest on the island and the deep waters harbour red coral. The red gambas scavenge in the shallows. So far everything is happy. At the moment the Alboran sounds like paradise lost in the Med. At about 100 nautical miles offshore from Almeria or Malaga it only boasts a lighthouse, a helipad and a short airstrip. It looks like Mustafa ben Yusuf’s encampment is still out of reach of any invading hordes. I am not too sure about that. The powers to be who spend their life sitting on their brains have decided to cut this poor little navel of the sea in two. It is like trying to cut a cherry in half to keep two brats from howling. “La zona reserva”, of 16km2 will be dedicated to the serious scientific research on ecology and will cocoon the most fragile species in the island. Considering that this fauna and flora has survived extremely well over the centuries without the help of mankind raises the question in my mind of the futility of the exercise. In their wisdom the big heads have decided that the waters and ocean floor around those 16km2 will also be dedicated to in-depth scrutiny. You don’t have to be a marine biologist to know that strangely enough water tends to move around a bit. And whatever is here today will be on the other side to-morrow. The other side will be called “La zona de conservacion”with restricted uses. This is like the nasty little clause on your insurance policy that nobody ever bothers to read until a fire or a flood destroys your house. You realise then that you need more powerful reading glasses. This part of Alboran and the small island of La Nube, total superficies of 74km2 will be dedicated to controlled activities like specialist tourism (!), deep-diving, other recreations (what are those when practised?) and of course fishing. Controlled fishing you understand. Very controlled because it will be done in one of those sea-farming factories that will churn out the famous red gambas at the same rate as Rio Frio trout factories spit out the thousands of 500gms trout everyday. They even tried sturgeon in Rio Frio (an hour and a bit after Granada going towards Sevilla) and had the label designed to sell the Rio Frio Caviar well ahead of time. The sturgeons took control and the humans lost theirs. The sturgeons refused to produce eggs. In desperation the restaurants there tried to push sturgeon steaks on the menu to make use of the embarrassing blockheads. But the only thing that is edible in a sturgeon is the eggs. The flesh is bland, has no texture and smells vaguely of sewer. Sturgeons ONE humans NIL. Until a couple of years ago when the sturgeons gave up the fight and produced eggs. The Rio Frio Caviar was born. At a price. But I digress. To quote the Government officials who probably have never been on Alboran:” We want to protect a maritime heritage which although being a Natural Parque, can be exploited in a sustainable manner”. Tell that to the Marines.. The invaders that our pirate Yusuf feared will land centuries later. Armed not with lances and swords but with zoom lenses and very little sense. Cans of soft drinks and cartons of hamburgers and chips will be left empty to pollute the island. I can foresee a service from Almeria, Malaga, Motril to Alboran and back ferrying gaggles of noisy sightseers tramping mindlessly on the unique flora of the place and frightening the wild life. There will be a stall selling grilled red gambas, fresh from the sea (read: just herded from the factory) and a Watney’s Red Barrel pit stop. One of those Audouin seagulls will take the lead and gather the flock. Together they will break open the prison pens of the gambas. Flying and swimming the wild population of Alboran will flee their paradise.The only consolation I have got is that I have asked numerous Spaniards lately where Alboran was. After all it had been in the news for years and lately on the front page of most national dailies. In colour. “Que?”“Alboran, donde esta?”“No se”. Finally a young man from Madrid told me that it was about 100 nautical miles southwest of Almeria towards Malaga. I could not even find it on a map. So there might be some hope after all. Of course, three provinces are fighting to get Alboran under their “patrimonio”: Almeria, Granada and Malaga. Five stars hotels are way into an unforeseeable future. Talking about gambas (the big red prawns) the only way to eat them is simple. Buy them raw, not cooked and frozen as is most common here.For 4 people as a starter you need 1 kiloRinse them well and if they have eggs between their legs LEAVE THEM! This is the caviar of the sea.In the largest frying pan you have heat up enough olive oil to coat the bottom and the side. Throw the gambas in, in two batches if necessary. In the meantime chop 6 cloves of garlic finely and a handful of parsley. Mix together. Stir the gambas. Don’t overcook. Add the garlic/parsley mixture and a pinch of chilli powder. Stir again. Serve on hot plates with lemon wedges to squeeze. Pass the coarse salt around (sal de mar grueso). Raw gambas are expensive. Choose your friends and the occasion. Serve a glass of chilled dry Sherry like Tio Pepe or Manzanilla de Sanlucar to really appreciate this delicacy. A bottle of local Montespejo from Mollina would be perfect because the cook could have a glass of it whilst stirring.A very fishy excuse.JOCELYNE
