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El Hierro is almost certainly the

most intact island in

the Canary archipelago.

The almost null existence of beaches on its steep coastline and the difficulty of getting there has contributed to this - two flights are needed from the Peninsula.

Which makes visiting it even more attractive, an impulse that has been intensified by the knock-on effect that has originated the series

Hierro

(Movistar +), whose second season has recently premiered.

The natural charm of the island extends to gastronomy, because although in El Hierro there is no haute cuisine restaurant, there are several establishments where you can enjoy the simple, but very appetizing and special cuisine of El Hierro.

The

popular gastronomy

of El Hierro could be divided into

country

or indoor

cuisine

and

sea ​​cuisine.

Local fish reigns supreme on the restaurant menu.

We start this route at the best of times in

La Restinga,

the most emblematic town on the coast of El Hierro, in whose waters the last great underwater volcanic eruption of the Canary Islands took place in 2011 and where there are several diving clubs to enjoy the most rich oceanic marine fauna of the world, including large cetaceans or the

whale shark.

LA RESTINGA: FRIED BRUNETTE AND ESCALED GOFIO

In La Restinga there are several restaurants that are worthwhile, such as

Casa Juan

(Calle Juan Gutiérrez Monteverde, 33), one of the oldest on the island, and

El Refugio

(La Lapa, 2).

Casa Juan makes a successful cuisine of the sea, something elaborate;

while El Refugio offers a simple menu but with dishes full of flavor and authenticity, mainly its local fish: viejas, cabrillas, alfonsiños, bocinegros, sprouts, catalufas, rosemary, pámpanos, anchetes, samas, sargos ...

Any of them, fried, grilled, on the back, or stewed;

with wrinkled potatoes and mojo.

Before the fish, try the

shrimp, limpets and smoked cheese.

Among the dishes that you should not miss, we must also mention the

fried brown

and the

blanched gofio

.

All washed down with a wine from the DO El Hierro, like a white from Viña Frontera or Elysar.

El Refugio Restaurant, in La Restinga.

El Refugio is a

family business

opened in 1988 and run by Juan Manuel and his brother Juan Miguel.

The former runs the restaurant and waits tables while Juan Miguel is the house's main fish supplier with his little fishing boat

Elio

.

At the stove, her sister Marlene: "Our cuisine is tradition, and our menu is decided every day by the sea."

THE BEST MOJO IN EL HIERRO

Another of the best family restaurants on the island is

Bahía

(Ctra. Timijiraque, 4), in Timijiraque.

The husband is in the kitchen and the wife and her mother are in the dining room.

The cuisine of the Bahía is the simple and popular island fishermen's cuisine, based on

local products from the sea

and distinguished by the

quality of its mojos.

Each establishment makes this typical Canarian sauce with the same ingredients: palm pepper, green pepper, paprika, cumin or coriander, garlic, oil, vinegar, parsley, saffron, tomato ... Although, depending on the proportions and the chef's touch , some mojos can be more aromatic, smooth and tasty than others;

and those from Bahia are among the

most delicate and fragrant

that can be taken in El Hierro.

In addition to the varied list of small ration fish that we have already mentioned, in the waters of El Hierro there are a huge number of larger fish that, when cut, also appear on restaurant tables: groupers, chernes, wahoo, moray eels, Amberjacks ... or tunas like yellowfin, albaroca or bigeye.

Barraquito, an espresso with condensed milk, cream and liqueur 43.

In Bahia, as in most of the restaurants on the island, at the end of the meal you should not stop ordering a

barraquito

, zaperoco or café bombón: a drink based on espresso coffee, condensed milk, frothy milk cream and liquor 43.

ISLAND MEAT

As for country or indoor cuisine, we stand out very close to Valverde (the capital of El Hierro),

La Higuera de la Abuela

(Tajaniscaba, 10), a place where, apart from a grilled Herreño cheese, some Delicious mushrooms with ham with sherry, or the inevitable wrinkled potatoes with mojo, you can taste a good selection of meats from the island:

lamb in Herreña sauce

or pork or beef tenderloin accompanied by apple, pepper or roquefort sauces.

La Higuera de la Abuela also has a charming interior garden ideal for dinner.

To eat with one of the best views of the island, the

Mirador de la Peña

designed by César Manrique has a restaurant whose greatest merit may not be its gastronomic excellence, but its exceptional location: from the dining room and the terraces you get a fabulous panoramic view of the entire Gulf area.

Impressive

cliffs of more than 1,000 meters

high that fall into the ocean in the middle of a sea of ​​clouds that slides between immense rocks.

To complete the gastronomic experience in El Hierro, you will have to visit a

guachinche

, popular

home-cooked food

venues

.

They originate from the informal stalls that former

winemakers

set up to give buyers a taste of their wines;

and so that they could accompany their tastings, the farmers' women prepared small portions of freshly made traditional dishes: grilled cheese, fiesta meat (marinated pork), goat meat or ribs, rabbit salmorejo with white wine and spices, escaldón de gofio , chickpea stew with pork, chorizo, potatoes with mojo ... Strong

food

at prices, generally very cheap.

In El Hierro you should not miss the guachinche de

Aguadara

(Camino Casas del Monte, 8).

It is in the middle of the field, inside a kind of open rural garage full of junk and memories that the owner has accumulated over the years and that lend the place an air of friendly chamarileries.

Practical Guide

HOW TO GET


Iberia, Air Europa

and

Canaryfly

airlines

connect the Peninsula with El Hierro from

140 euros.


WHERE TO SLEEP


El Hierro does not have too many accommodations.

The Parador is situated in a unique location, at the bottom of a lonely bay and at the foot of an imposing circus of enormous cliffs.

From

170 euros / night.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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