market

When we talk about Charente-Maritime, we often think of La Rochelle, Jonzac, Rochefort or Saintes, typical towns to discover and visit for their heritage and cultural richness. But Charente-Maritime is also gastronomy with flagship and delicious products to taste...on the markets! Meetings, conviviality, warm welcome, sharing, but above all deliciousness, these are the perfect ingredients to find among the fragrant and colorful stands. All year round, towns and villages are full of stalls filled with fresh produce, ideal for filling your basket when you like to cook and enjoy yourself.

In Charente-Maritime, it's hard not to sit down to a hearty seafood platter, including fine light oysters from Marennes-Oléron. Fleshy, iodized with a subtle nutty taste, they are perfect with a shallot sauce or a squeeze of lemon. Find them in the markets and take the opportunity to chat with the oyster farmers in the region. Mussels are also a flagship product, with a typical Charente-Maritime recipe called mouclade. Take the tour and stop at the greengrocer to find the famous potatoes of the Ile de Ré! They will be delicious cooked with Surgères butter from the creamery next door. To end the market, nothing like some fresh fruit with Charente melon or green kiwi, products to savor all summer long on the Charente-Maritime markets.

Here's your fully loaded basket, ready to bring home fresh produce to cook with. Did you bring back some income from the market? Here is a must-have, the cagouilles! These little grays are snails cooked in a fragrant court-bouillon or stuffed, to be enjoyed as a main course or as a starter. Served with a Pineau des Charente and a cognac for dessert, this is a typically Charentais meal.

Enjoy your visit to the Charente-Maritime markets!