Following the thread of one of our previous posts, today we’re diving back into Ibiza’s gastronomy, and there’s no better way to start than by talking about the island’s most iconic dish.

Undoubtedly, if Ibiza has a star dish, one that both locals and tourists visiting the island are familiar with, it’s the “bullit de peix”. A dish that speaks volumes about the roots of the people who inhabited Ibiza before it became a globally renowned tourist destination.

For a long time, Ibiza was home to fishermen. Being an island, the sea was the primary source of sustenance for its inhabitants, and thus, many of the recipes we now consider traditional were simply ingenious methods developed to turn the ordinary into a moment of enjoyment.

According to some historians, the origins of “bullit de peix” trace back to the fishing boats themselves. The fishermen, using the fresh catch they had and some basic provisions they were able to preserve well (potatoes, garlic, paprika…), gradually developed through trial and error the magnificent recipe we now know as “bullit de peix”. In the island’s language (Catalan), it simply means “cooked fish”.

Today, “bullit de peix” has become an attraction in itself, a ritual that every visitor to the island should experience before leaving Ibiza. The opportunity to relish a “bullit de peix”, accompanied by its aioli, a good wine, and the paella made with the broth in which the fish was cooked, is priceless. All of this while enjoying the magnificent views offered by the beaches surrounding the numerous restaurants that serve this delicacy in Ibiza.

We strongly recommend all visitors to the island to make room in their schedules to savor this wonder of Ibiza’s gastronomy during their holidays. It’s a sign of the island’s roots and an identity marker that still today retains traces of Ibiza’s fishing origins.