Desalination salt trademarked in 38 countries lands in Dénia

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Families with two children will be treated as large families in the Comunitat Valenciana, according to TodoAlicante.
• Alicante expects a high of 28°C and a low of 22°C on Monday 28 September 2026, with a 13% chance of light rain, according to Open-Meteo.
• TodoAlicante reports that a new roundabout will be built to ease traffic in the Aguamarga industrial estate in Alicante.
• La Marina Plaza reports that Dénia Actitud, a free programme for young people aged 14 to 18, begins on 22 October at the Casal Jove de Dénia.
• ONCE seller Simón González Bautista sold ten weekend coupons in Pedreguer and Ondara that won €20,000 each, according to La Marina Plaza.

Today's essentials

Desalination salt trademarked in 38 countries lands in Dénia. Dénia chef Bruno Ruiz used Alma de Mar, a gourmet sea salt that the water company Aqualia makes from desalination brine, in a workshop at the D*na Festival Dénia 2026 on 26 and 27 September, according to El Periódic.

Ruiz runs Aticcook by Bruno Ruiz in Dénia. He led his session in the festival's Espacio Aqualia under the title 'Alma de Mar: the second life of desalination salt in local haute cuisine'. When seawater is turned into drinking water, a concentrated brine is left behind, and it is usually treated as waste. Aqualia now turns part of that brine into a salt that combines traditional salt-making methods with new technology and complies with the rules for virgin sea salt and fleur de sel. The Dénia paper adds that the Alma de Mar brand is registered in 38 countries.

The salt comes out of Sea4Value, an Aqualia innovation project that recovers useful resources from brine for industrial and food use. Denia.com reports that the research takes place at the WAVE Center (Water and Added Value European Center). This facility covers more than 3,000 m² and works on desalination, brine recovery, raw material recovery and renewable energy.

The setting was the 9th D*na Festival Gastronòmic at the Marineta Cassiana in Dénia, with three-Michelin-star chef Quique Dacosta as creative director. According to TV Denia and Noticias Ciudadanas, the line-up included Ferran Adrià, Paco Roncero, Susi Díaz, Óscar Molina, Ausiàs Signes, Alberto Ferruz, Nazario Cano, Carolina Álvarez and Juan Manuel López.

Want to taste or see Costa Blanca salt for yourself? Start at Aticcook in Dénia, the chef's own restaurant. None of the reports say whether Alma de Mar is sold to the public or how much it costs, so ask the restaurant directly. Then compare it with salt made the traditional way. The Salines de Santa Pola natural park, south of Alicante, has flamingos on the pans and a salt museum in Santa Pola. Further south, the pink lagoon of Torrevieja and the La Mata lagoon are still worked for salt. In the north, the old Salinas de Calp lie at the foot of the Penyal d'Ifac. Dénia is easy to reach by car on the AP-7, or on the coastal TRAM line from Alicante and Benidorm (check FGV for current services). Santa Pola and Torrevieja are best reached by car, or by bus from Alicante.

What this means for you: the tap water in many Costa Blanca homes comes partly from desalination, and the leftover brine is now reaching restaurant plates in the Marina Alta. If you care about where your food comes from, Aticcook in Dénia is the place to ask about it. A weekend trip to the salt pans of Santa Pola, Torrevieja or Calp will show you how sea salt has been made here for generations.

Weather today

Mild, mostly dry Monday across the Costa Blanca. Alicante expects temperatures between 22°C and 28°C on Monday 28 September 2026, with light rain possible but a chance of only 13%, according to Open-Meteo.

In Alicante city the wind stays light, at up to 11 km/h, so light layers and a small umbrella in your bag will do. Inland, Cocentaina starts much cooler at 16°C and climbs to 27°C, with scattered showers and a 10% chance of rain: take a jacket if you're out early. On the coast, Benidorm stays between 21°C and 28°C under cloudy skies, with only a 5% chance of rain and a breeze of up to 13 km/h. It's good weather for a walk along the seafront, though not really for sunbathing.

Transport & traffic

• New roundabout planned for Aguamarga estate. According to TodoAlicante, a new roundabout will be built to ease traffic in the Aguamarga industrial estate in Alicante. If you drive to businesses or warehouses in Aguamarga, on the south-western edge of the city, the roundabout should make it easier to get in and out of the estate once it is finished. The report does not give a start date or a schedule for the work, so expect roadworks at some point and look out for diversion signs on your usual route.

Local news to know

• Two children now count as a large family. TodoAlicante reports that families with two children will be recognised as large families (familias numerosas) in the Comunitat Valenciana.
• Free 'Dénia Actitud' course for teenagers. La Marina Plaza reports that Dénia Actitud, a free programme that helps young people aged 14 to 18 build personal and emotional skills, begins on 22 October at the Casal Jove de Dénia.
• €200,000 ONCE win for Pedreguer and Ondara. Ten ONCE weekend coupons (Cupón Fin de Semana) won €20,000 each in Pedreguer and Ondara, all sold by the same seller, Simón González Bautista, according to La Marina Plaza.
• Dvořák, Saint-Saëns and Beethoven in 'Natura'. As AlicanteOut reports, the ADDA in Alicante is putting on 'Natura: Nature, life and love II' in its 2026/27 symphonic season, with ADDA·Simfònica Alicante, Carles Marín and Nayden Todorov playing Dvořák, Saint-Saëns and Beethoven.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow