Islands Hotels in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands to dream of the first getaway
La Palma: This is the youngest territory in Spain born of a volcano
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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