Aitor Arregui

The Path

Field sport gave Aitor Arregui an early training in timing, stamina, intuition, and pressure. As a professional soccer player in Vitoria, Eibar, Villarreal, Elche and Burgos (1991–2002), he worked in a trade of quick decisions and exact movement before that discipline was redirected toward the kitchen. The sea-facing grill became the working language when Aitor Arregui became chef at Elkano in Getaria (from 2002). The change in medium did not remove the need for precision: fire replaced the field, fish replaced the ball, and tide and market replaced the match clock. The restaurant also carried family inheritance, so the work entered an existing line of memory, appetite, and technique. Basque gastronomy now has another institutional link through Aitor Arregui’s role as member of the board of trustees of Basque Culinary Center (since 2024). The appointment places the Getaria grill within a broader professional conversation while the restaurant work remains tied to its port, season, and fish.

The Work Today

The present work at Elkano in Getaria is built around continuing the family legacy and philosophy, with Aitor Arregui cooking from season and from the whole fish. The catch is treated as a complete subject rather than a set of prime cuts. Texture, anatomy, fat, bone, and skin all remain part of the reading, requiring judgment in how each part is served. The phrase terroir of the sea names the central question in this practice: where fish live and, more importantly, what they eat. It shifts the language of place from land to water without making the sea abstract. Flavor is understood through species, habitat, movement, and nourishment. The range also includes marmitako de bonito, presented as a classic Basque home-style local tuna dish, and kokotxas prepared in batter, grilled, or in pil-pil sauce. These preparations keep the home table, the fishing port, and the restaurant dining room in the same working vocabulary.

Signature

Kokotxas are among Aitor Arregui’s signature dishes. Prepared in batter, grilled, or in pil-pil sauce, they show the grammar of this kitchen: use the fish closely, keep the handling restrained, and give the small prized parts their proper place.

In Their Words “I was born and raised here in the kitchen, at the grill, among fishermen and watching my parents' work.” “Well, if he is the king of turbot, I will be the prince.”

Acclaim

Recognition for the work includes One Michelin star for Elkano and Sartún Award at the 7th Meeting of the Seas.