Discover Chile’s seafood cuisine from north to south

By: Hernan Claro - 3 July, 2023

Chile has a 6,435-kilometer-long coastline, that means, there is a long coastal road to travel that offers a first-class seafood cuisine.

Chile Travel invites you to immerse yourself in an adventure of seafood tastings that will surprise you with an amazing variety of seafood and fish.

Northern Chile

Iquique is the capital city of the Tarapacá Region, located in the extreme north of Chile and whose name means “place of dreams”, or “place of rest”.

To start the rest or even, to fulfill a dream, nothing better than starting with a good dish of seafood cuisine with fresh local products, such as a sole, a Paila Marina and, why not, a portion of tasty rice with seafood. In this city, you can find a wide menu where you will find something for all tastes.

There are restaurants with their own fishing crew to offer the freshest seafood cuisine possible and with local products. One option could be “Caleta Buena”, which received the Sabores de Chile award.

Chile’s Seafood

Pescado escabechado, a family tradition. Photo: @caletabuenalapica

Central Chile

Valparaiso is one of the most important port cities in central Chile and is characterized for the colors of its architecture, its steep hills and for having a wide variety of places to enjoy exquisite Chilean marine cuisine.

This city has restaurants of various styles. There are “picadas” without elegance or presumption that offer the best of traditional good food from the area, while there are others which have been chosen on The World’s 50 Best Discovery list and that have signature dishes, where internationally renowned chefs shine with their innovative culinary creations.

At both types of restaurants, you can find dishes made with the wonderful products from the area, which characterize the place. One of the not-to-be-missed dishes is the Merluza al Pil Pil, coatedwith Merkén.

If you are looking for a good dish of Machas a la Parmesana, then you are an hour’s drive from Maitencillo, a perfect beach to enjoy a good view of the sea, to listen to the sound of birds and to enjoy this good seafood.

This beach has a cove located on the shore of the seafront. It offers a variety of seafood such as sea urchins, fish, mussels, clams and much more.

Santiago is the largest city in Chile. It attracts a large number of visitors from north to south and many foreigners. That is why a stop in this city will leave you delighted if you stop to eat a good seafood dish.

You can find incredible seafood such as Picoroco, a delicacy exclusive to our seas, as well as sea urchins, clams and crab claws brought from the coast.

Oyster dish from the restaurant, La Tasca de Altamar. Photo: @latascadealtamar

Southern Chile

If you are looking for artisanal fishing products that are fresh and from the area, then Valdivia is a city that will surprise you, because apart from being able to enjoy eating on the riverbank, you can feel the freshness on your palate.

In this city there are restaurants located on emblematic streets, with a lot of history, and why not sit in one of them to taste the chef’s secrets, while you learn a little about the history of the area.

There are restaurants specializing in seafood, which prefer to buy fresh products from artisanal anglers of the Valdivia coast, and work with other products from the area. You will be pleasantly surprised to enjoy seafood cuisine made with dedication and by its owners.

Going a little further, if you are looking to gather the flavors and aromas from the sea, then you cannot miss the Punta Arenas Market. Located in a city near the southernmost tip of Chilean Patagonia, a province where the two oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, meet.

It is a city enriched by its nature, where you can explore many excursions, but first you must taste the flavor of the local cuisine, such as a classic Chupe de Centolla, crustacean native to this remote place in the southern tip of the world.

Punta Arenas was the main port of navigation between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. You can find a lot of history by strolling through its streets, and if you stop at a restaurant that offers seafood cuisine, enjoy it, because this city has a lot to surprise you. A dish plate of Garlic Shrimp will leave you wanting to try more local products.

Chile’s Seafood