I wish I could stay. This is what it says in my notebook. Written on the last day Noirmoutier. I’m sitting in a café not far from the market square and the September sun, almost October sun, warms my back. I don’t want to leave this island. I want to watch the sun rise on Vieil Beach again and again, walk through the charming little streets and enjoy the prairie flowers that grow everywhere. I imagine having a little white house here. With blue shutters. Like almost all the houses here on the island have. And this would be my favorite season on the island. Fewer tourists, lots of flair, peace and space. 3 days were enough for me to fall in love with this quiet island beauty. I meet inspiring people and enjoy breathtakingly good fish cuisine and only want one thing: to go back as soon as possible.
Passage du Gois – getting there through the sea
For centuries the Passage du Gois was the only connection to Noirmoutier. Once a bumpy natural path, it was only built in the 19th and 20th centuries. Century attached. And she’s just with ebb accessible for 1.5 – 2 hours. When the tide goes out, everything disappears: street, curbs, orientation. The water rises quickly with the onset of the tide and then rises several meters high. The only way out are the rescue towers that you can climb if you stay too long. It wasn’t until 1971 that an additional one was built Bridge. It’s a bit scary to drive here, with only mudflats on either side of the road where many people look for mussels and oysters. I stop and park the car on the damp sand and let my gaze wander over the seemingly endless mudflats. There is something unreal about this path. Another hour and there will be no sign of it anymore. And as impressive as it is to drive through the middle of the sea, I feel a little calmed when I reach the island.
You can find one here Tide tableto plan the crossing
In the background you can see one of the rescue towers
Exceptional salt
My first visit is to the salt marshes marais salantswhich form a glittering mosaic of salt pools when viewed from above. I’ve arranged to meet Aude, who was born here on the island and who will translate for me. Because from the craft of a “Sauniers“, of a salt farmer, I have no idea. You need three things for salt: sea water, of course, plus lots of sun and a lot of wind. Especially for the salt flakes, that Fleur de Selit needs a lot of wind. Emmanuel Prud’homme is a salt farmer and learned the seemingly archaic craft in the Guérande. The training lasts one year. Another 3 years until you master it perfectly. Mastering it means knowing exactly when to harvest the salt, how to handle the “lousse,” the long wooden shovel, and when to open the canals. I am given the long (and rather heavy) wooden pusher. “Try it,” is the message. Of course, Emmanuel knew that I would fail hopelessly. I can’t plow the water calmly, I can’t cope with the resistance of the water and after a short time I can feel every muscle in my arms. I would be happy to give the Lousse back. I want to know what’s special about the salt from here. It is not as famous as Guérande salt, but is particularly appreciated by many chefs as being more iodized, precise and mineral. In terms of tone, it has a slightly gray color and is rich in minerals. I recognize that salt provides a sense of pride. No matter where in the world. Salt is life. And I have at least 10 different types of salt at home. From all parts of the world. Now add the salt from Noirmoutier.
A sauna. The demanding work requires a lot of experience
On the left the rock salt and on the right the fleur de sel
Cooperative of the Sel (there is also a shop not far from the market square)
10 Rue Marouettes
85330 Noirmoutier-en-l’Île
Blue shutters, white houses – a tour of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île
It’s best to park your car on the island at your accommodation and only move around with it Bicycle continued. Almost everyone here does it that way. There are wide cycle paths and everything is manageable in terms of distances anyway. I park the car in the large parking lot at the foot of the Château de Noirmoutier. We continue on foot through the small streets. I absolutely have to visit the little, really adorable spice shop L’Epicerie du Château Visit because there is excellent saffron from the island. A recommendation from the chef at my hotel. A few houses further you will find a nice bookstore with a café inside. I first move to the edges of the actual center of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, where there are few people and the alleys exude an impressive calm. The closer I move towards the market square, the busier it becomes. The cafés are all well filled and the temperature is perfect at almost 20°C. It’s even warmer in the sun.
Of course I have to buy salt, lots of salt. You can never have enough good salt. And cans of fish. As much as the maximum weight for the suitcase. In a small kitchen shop I discovered beautiful textiles, all of which I could take with me straight away.
La Bonnotte – the most expensive potato in the world
She is the pride of the entire island. She is a myth. The little early potato La Bonotte. Gourmets and chefs from all over the world are crazy about it. But what makes this potato so special? That’s what I’m asking Patrick MichaudPresident of the “Saveurs de l’Ile“, an association of producers and restaurateurs on Noirmoutier. He grows La Bonnotte. It is an ancient potato from the 19th century: small, thin-skinned and irregular in shape. It almost became extinct because it is so delicate and is not suitable for industrial agriculture. Because of its tenderness, it is harvested exclusively by hand; a machine would crush it. It is harvested 90 days after sowing and is then only good Shelf life is 14 days. This is also the reason why I am not allowed to taste this special potato on the island. Now is the time when the seaweed is added to the soil as fertilizer. The taste of the potatoes is sweet and mineral Concorde travel to New York. A famous chef insisted on this very potato. Diplomatic luggage, because it is actually strictly forbidden to import plants into the USA. And then it dawns on me: After I’m back in Munich, I’m going to visit my favorite potato dealer, Theo von Caspar Plautz at the Viktualienmarkt. I ask him whether he knows the potato from Noirmoutier? Of course, he answers and grins. And is it possible that I have already bought them, I want to know, because I remembered that I bought a very special potato from him about 2 years ago. It cost around ten euros for just 500 g. Yes, exactly – that was La Bonnotte. I ask whether he would offer them again next spring. Maybe, because you can’t just buy these potatoes. You have to buy them at auction. Now that I know so much more about the potato, I’m even more eager to pay my respects next year.
Harvesting will take place again next spring
Patrick Michaud, president of the “Saveurs de l’Ile”, he grows La Bonnote
At the beach
The beach caught me on the first evening Plague of the lady captivated with its small bathing houses. This beach particularly shapes the image of the slightly “bourgeois” island. There are magnificent villas in the forests around it and so one is inclined to view this island as a special summer resort for noble visitors. The island was never pretentious. On the contrary – she is calm and gentle. This background is most evident in the Bois de la Chaise:
It was the noble summer retreat – a coastal landscape full of old, wind-bent oaks in whose shade rich families built their estates. The climate here is milder than in the seaside resorts of La Baule or Les Sables-d’Olonne.
Today the island is one of the most expensive residential areas on the Atlantic coast – but you can hardly see it. Here, people tend to renovate houses rather than build new ones and focus on subtlety. And blue shutters.
On the other hand, it is wilder and more open Plague you many. Here you can take long walks. There are many more beaches on the island, but in the three days I spent there I wasn’t able to get to know them all.
Elise and the Green Crab with Reverberation
Alexandre Couillon is the chef of the 3 Michelin star restaurant La Marine and opened another restaurant on Noirmoutier this year. Actually it is a mixture of a fish shop and a restaurant. The tube-like interior offers the sale of exquisite fish in the front part, a long counter in the back and a few tables on the side next to an impressive wine rack. The centerpiece is the large grill. The focus is on fish and seafood. The map is manageable. Four different starters are offered, 2 intermediate courses, 4 different main courses and three desserts. And that’s all I need, because what awaits me here is something to rave about. Even though it is quieter on the island at this time of year, every seat will be occupied over the course of the evening. For good reason – what’s on offer here is spectacular fish cuisine at a great price. To start I get grilled mackerel with a garlic-honey-ginger emulsion. The strong aromas of the mackerel are caressed by the sauce and thus fit into a harmonious overall structure. So good that I even try to grab the remaining sauce with my small fork. But it gets even better: the appearance of the chawanmushi with green crab. Chawanmushi is a dish from Japan and you can imagine it as a kind of egg custard, but this one is much creamier. The meat of the green crab is sweet and is underlined by a subtle note of elderberry vinegar. A dish that makes me happy and almost sad at the same time when I eat it. I would come back to the island in a heartbeat just for that.
The dishes focus on their ingredients, no elaborate plating with dots and spread purees. Simply presented but with stunning precision and taste. The main course is hake with a creamy, airy garlic sauce. Just add some perfectly cooked cauliflower with parsley oil. Good food exhilarates and makes you happy. A happiness that you like to share with the people around you at this counter and as it turns out, I am surrounded by guests who are not here for the first time. Which is hardly surprising. If I were on the island longer, I would be too. Finally, I choose a vanilla cream with smoked salt and caramel butter. The best vanilla cream I’ve ever tasted.
Restaurant Elise – poisson et braise
5 Rue Marie Lemonnier
85330 Noirmoutier-en-l’Île
Stay overnight
The Hotel Restaurant Les Prateaux am Bois de la Chaise is not far from the beaches Plage des Dames and Plage des Sableaux. Here you can enjoy the peace and quiet in the tastefully furnished rooms around the lush garden. With 20 rooms it is small and elegant and has a chef Luderic Picon serves creative cuisine based on the season and local products. And people are rightly proud of an excellent breakfast.
Hotel Restaurant Les Prateaux
8 Allée du Tambourin,
85330 Noirmoutier en l’île
Disclosure: The trip to Noirmoutier was supported by Vendée Expansion and Tourisme de Noirmoutier. As always, the impressions are entirely mine.
