If there is one thing that Martinique has inherited from metropolitan France, it is its love for good products and refined gastronomy. Old recipes, traditional dishes prepared with love, exotic drinks… A real treat at all times! Martinique’s cuisine, with its French, African, Middle Eastern and Indian influences, is so varied that it is quite possible to eat different dishes at each meal.
Whether you prefer meat or fish, everyone will find happiness around a good table, with the famous ti-punch as an aperitif (which we love at Ti’ Paradise Villa).
what to eat in martinique ?
culinary specialties
Fish and shellfish
Fish: tuna, king mackerel, dolphinfish, balaou, snapper or octopus. Crustaceans: lambi, lobster... Recipe idea, valid for all fillets (try the purse, it's delicious) or steaks: marinate for 45 minutes in olive oil with lime, peppers, Indian wood, thyme, onion. Cook on the barbecue or plancha.
Our tips
Buy your fresh fish at the arrival of the boats (no precise schedule but often there in the evening from 5pm): At the three Ilets, at Anse Mitan before the casino, Arnaud sets up his stall on the roadside when he returns from fishing.Saturday morning: prepared fish and rillettes At the end of the beach Anse d'Arlet while leaving towards the diamond Or at the exit of the small cove. 10 euros/Kg and ready to cook. If you want to eat them fresh, ask the fishermen: fishing on order or buy frozen.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
With its microclimates, the island produces an impressive variety of fruits. Fruits: pineapple, guava, soursop, papaya (green, you can use it for a delicious sea sauerkraut by grating it), currant, star fruit (my favorite: cut in a star shape, very acid) Vegetables: manioc, sweet potato, yam, breadfruit, cristophine (I love to make a cristophine gratin that will be a perfect accompaniment to all your dishes).
Our tips
Buy your fruits and vegetables at small local markets.
By type of dish
SPECIALITIES AND GASTRONOMY OF MARTINIQUE
STARTERS
DISHES
desserts
The national drink of Martinique is of course rum (a drink made from sugar cane), which you can taste by visiting the island’s distilleries (click here). Whether it is white rum, old rum or straw rum, each one has a unique taste.
Make your own mixture of rum, sugar, ice and lemon and discover new flavours.
For even more indulgence, we recommend you try the punch-planteur, a mixture of rum, cane sugar, lime and fruit juice.
You can also be tempted by their liqueurs, made from fruit and spices that macerate for several days in rum, or by the flagship Christmas drink, the Shrubb, a mixture of rum and orange peel.
Finally, beer lovers cannot leave the island without tasting the Lorraine, a soft and refreshing blonde or amber beer brewed in the Manatee or the Kalinago, a beer made from manioc.
These drinks should of course be consumed in moderation. Otherwise, Martinique also offers Royal Soda (made from aniseed) and a wide range of fresh exotic fruit juices made from guava, watermelon, mango, passion fruit… A delight!
RESTAURANTS
Our favourites are varied and go from the Bokit tasted on the beach, through the Lolo at the water’s edge to the great gastronomic restaurant, all having a mixture of sensations linked to the moment lived and shared, thus :
- The cod bokit bought at the stand on the beach of Anse Mitan
- The accras and the planter / fruit juice shared on the beach of Cap Chevalier, Anse du bout, Anse d’Arlet bourg while watching the sunset…
- The waterfront restaurants of Anses d’Arlet bourg (only at lunchtime) or Ste Anne
- Maryse’s little Lolo in Petit Anse, on the waterfront, very traditional but so good !
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