Autumn time is Llampuga time in Mallorca

Because the dolphinfish may be caught from the end of August until the end of December. The fish with few bones and the golden-metallic reflections on the skin is a good fish to eat. And it goes relatively easily into the net or on the fishing rod.

Fast, low-fat fish

This is because Llampugas are fast swimmers and certainly show themselves above the water's surface when they leap exuberantly out of the sea. This is due to a special predilection of the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), its scientific name. It loves to chase flying fish.

It can reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour and more. This makes it one of the fastest fish of all. Because it is so agile and covers long distances, it also has little fat.

Llampugas – fished by the ton

With the onset of the cooler season, when summer leaves, the first storms sweep over Mallorca and thunderstorms come, then it is the time of the dolphinfish. It is therefore also called thunderstorm fish. And the name "Llampuga" is derived from the Mallorcan word "Llamp": Lightning!

In the fall, the fish are taken by the ton from Mallorca's waters. In 2022, local fishermen caught almost 126 tons. This was announced by the Balearic Fisheries Association.

Golden mackerel festival in Cala Ratjada

From 13 to 15 October 2023, it is on everyone's lips in Mallorca. Because then Cala Ratjada celebrates its traditional dolphinfish festival, the "Mostra de la Llampuga". This means that everything in the town in Mallorca's east revolves around this marine animal. And it shows the different ways in which dolphinfish can be prepared: marinated, grilled, smoked, fried, steamed...

From ceviche to carpaccio

They are ideal as an ingredient in a tasty ceviche, can be the protagonist in a carpaccio finely chopped, give zing to fish pots and even give a Mallorcan touch to hamburgers.

Traditionally served with potatoes and peppers

There are even chefs who have conjured up a dessert from it and served it as a mousse. But for all its creative compositions, the LLampuga is still traditionally found in Mallorca's good old fideua dishes.

Fideua is the "noodly" little sister of paella - with pasta instead of rice. Golden mackerel in Mallorca is also served classically with potatoes and peppers.

Versatile preparation

If you will, the dolphinfish is a true champion of versatility. And numerous variations can be tasted at the Llampuga gastro festival in Cala Ratjada!

For those who miss the great dolphinfish event: Llampugas are now offered in the market halls in Mallorca and at the fish stands everywhere in the season.

From Mallorca to Hawaii

By the way, dolphinfish are not only found in the Mediterranean. They can be found in Mallorca, Italy, Malta and Tunisia, as well as in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

They also feel at home in tropical waters. Near Hawaii, for example, the mahi-mahi, as they are called there, can even reach lengths of over two meters and a weight of up to 40 kilograms.

Mallorcan fishermen can only dream of this. Until now, they have tended to catch the small and medium-sized specimens.

No signs of overfishing

But there are signs of change: For example, biologist Vicenç Moltó from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) in Palma de Mallorca has just recently established as part of his dissertation that, due to climate change and rising sea temperatures, the reproductive period of the animals has lengthened.

This means that fish that hatch at the beginning of this phase are larger in the fishing season in Mallorca than before.

Animals that hatch towards the end of this phase, on the other hand, are correspondingly small. The good news at the end: According to scientist Vicenç Moltó, there are no signs of overfishing of the gleaming mackerel, at least in the Balearic Sea.