We can divide the local gastronomy in two parts, on one side, the restaurants that serve seafood and on the other side the grills, which are part of the Argentinean tradition, the most typical local red meat is the Fuegian lamb, but you can find other cuts of beef or also chorizo or “morcilla” .
Don’t worry, there are also places, vegans, pasta or minutas for all tastes, but in this note we will only focus on the typical local food.
Among the most requested dishes are centolla, black hake and trout for those who appreciate fish and seafood.
As far as red meat is concerned, towards the center and north of Tierra del Fuego Island we can find large ranches dedicated to cattle breeding, highlighting the Fuegian lamb that you can taste in the Ushuaia winter centers that we visit in our excursions.
In this article we are going to recommend you the best places to taste each typical dish of the end of the world.
Seafood:
Centolla
Fished in an artisanal way by small boats that depart mostly from Puerto Almanza, this delicacy of the southern seas always arrives fresh to the restaurants of the city, in some of them you can even find fish tanks, with the centollas still alive inside.
This dish has many ways to be prepared, we recommend trying it fresh, however you can also taste centolla with parmesan, in the form of crepes, tarts, with pasta such as ravioli or even as an accompaniment to other forms of pasta, etc. Its meat is quite fibrous and with a sea flavor, a delicacy for many.
Black Hake
This deep-sea fish, difficult to catch in the open sea, is another of the dishes highly appreciated by visitors and locals in Ushuaia.
In order to obtain this product, deep sea fishing must be carried out in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet, since most of what is caught is exported to other countries, and its cost is relatively high.
Because it is a large fish, up to 2.3 meters long and weighing over 200 kg, the most requested option is grilled black hake with the garnish of your choice.
Other options are black hake with leek sauce and also smoked with peat. Its meat has a unique flavor and texture and is very soft and buttery.
Trout
The Fuegian trout come from the rivers and lakes of Tierra del Fuego, but it is also worth mentioning that there are several fish farmers on the island who are dedicated to the breeding of this appreciated freshwater salmonid.
The trout that can be tasted are small in size, which makes them tastier, since the fat that the fish may have, considering that salmonids grow according to the availability of food they have, is directly proportional to the amount of food available to the animal during its natural development or its breeding in fish farms.
We recommend its typical tasting with lemon juice, milk cream, salt and pepper.
However, trout can also be eaten “Napolitana” style, with blue cheese sauce, grilled, and other variants, and in winter resorts it can also be offered as canoe trout, a delight for fish lovers who take a trip to the lakes!
We recommend that you try the centolla, black hake or trout in the following restaurants in the city
Grills
Fueguino Lamb
The unmissable red meat in Tierra del Fuego is definitely the Fuegian lamb, which was introduced by the first European and native settlers between the late 1800s and early 1900s, generating an important livestock industry.
So important that due to its insular condition, Tierra del Fuego is an exporter of red meat to countries of very difficult access, such as the U.S. market, because it is free of diseases.
Why do we say Tierra del Fuego lamb and not Patagonian lamb? According to those who know, Tierra del Fuego lamb is not the same as the rest of Patagonia for 2 reasons.
The first one is due to the feeding of the animal, the pasture, due to the influence of the sea, which is different from the continental sector of Argentina and Chile, which gives it a unique flavor.
The second reason that differentiates this dish is the way it is cooked. The wood used to cook these lambs is all wood from the area. Lenga, an important part of the vegetation that can be seen on excursions to Tierra del Fuego National Park and Lakes Escondido and Fagnano, generates a constant flame that manages to cook the lamb evenly in less time than other types of firewood.
It is not uncommon to pass by a grill or a winter center and see tourists enjoying lamb without cutlery, eating with their hands, which is how it should be eaten.
You can taste it in the valley, in any of the winter centers, such as Tierra Mayor, Llanos del Castor and Las Cotorras.
In the center we recommend La Estancia.
Contact our excursion agency in Ushuaia if you have any questions or if you want more information HERE
