• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Travel: Sète market, Sètois food

August 10, 2015 5 Comments Filed Under: Travel, Uncategorized

Sete market, coquillages
Fishmonger at Sète market, South of France
cheesemonger at Sète market, South of France
peaches at Sète market, South of France
Roast chicken seller at Sète market, South of France
Selling boaters and striped tshirts at Sète market, South of France
Melons  at Sète market, South of France
One of my worst lapses as a mother was in Sète, a clammy but atmospheric port in the Languedoc of France. My three year old was playing next to the shore and, excuses, excuses, having been driving all day in an un-air-conditioned car, having slept badly, in a campsite which was so crowded in August that we were only allowed to stay one night, I fell asleep. I awoke to the disapproving hisses of French parents around me. Fortunately, my daughter was wearing one of those padded swimming costumes that allow you to float, so it was unlikely, but not impossible, that she would drown, but you never know. Every time I think about the errors I made, I feel a hot flush of shame. Mothering is a series of near misses.

Sète is nestled into a little crook in the Mediterranean coast line. Every summer it has water jousts, on canals. People wear boaters and blue and white stripes. Sète has a unique cuisine, heavily based on seafood and spice, influenced by Spain, Italy and Northern Africa. Some of France’s most iconic poets come from there: the anarchist song writer George Brassens (whose wordplay and simple while complex, repetitious songs are not appreciated by Anglo-Saxons) and Paul Valéry, the Symbolist writer.

Sète restaurant: L’Entonnoir 

The market, Halles de Sète, is well worth a morning and lunch too, there are some excellent restaurants within. Recommended by Trish Deseine, who has a house nearby, we ate at L’entonnoir which offers fresh Mediterranean food with an Asian twist, cooked by a talented female chef (pictures below).

It looks like half of Sète goes there to drink, socialise and eat after shopping. This is a market that you dress up for, that you do your makeup for. It’s a market where you will be seen. People-watching yields good material.

chef of L'entonnoir, Sète market, languedoc, france
L'entennoir, Sète market, languedoc, france
pad thai, L'entonnoir, Sète market, languedoc, france
Fried anchovies, L'entennoir, Sète market, languedoc, france


Sètois specialities

Tielles at Sète market, South of France

Tièlles are seafood pies or empanadas. La maison Tianni Marcos, a stall in the market, has queues waiting for these spicy little pasties. Italian immigrants brought these to Sète at the end of the 19th century, the Italian influence can be seen in the olive oil pastry. Inside you have a thick octopus stew cooked in tomato, fennel and spices.

Soupe de poisson à la Sètoise and Bourride à la Sètoise: further east along the coast Marseilles has a famous fish soup, with croutons and a red sauce ‘rouille’ and this soup or thick stew (bourride) is quite similar.

Olives Setoises a la rouille: at Sète market, South of France

Olives Setoises: I bought these green olives which were marinated in a creamy tomato and white wine sauce. Absolutely delicious. ‘A la Sètoise’ appears generally to mean cooked in tomato, saffron, provencale herbs, garlic and wine.

Biscuit seller, Sète market, languedoc, france

Zezette de Sète: a kind of sweet biscuit, flavoured with orange flower water

The market sells very high quality, perfectly ripe fruit and vegetables. The Languedoc comprises of both mountains, coast, countryside meaning there are great wines, cheeses (Roquefort), nougat (Montelimar), olives, meat. 

Here are some pictures I took in the market. I love the one of the guy who has travelled from his little vineyard that morning, selling home-grown wine from big plastic flagons. You bring along your plastic coke bottle and he will fill it with Vin de Pays. 

Some of the stallholders still had their ‘Je suis Charlie’ posters on the wall. One guy, holding the cherries below, had a large portrait of Georges Brassens behind him. 

I think it’s almost impossible to make a bad or even mediocre meal when you have this kind of produce at your doorstep.
yellow tomatoes, Sète market, languedoc, france
wine seller, home made wine, Sète market, languedoc, france
apricots, Sète market, languedoc, france
fruit seller, Sète market, languedoc, france. George Brassens in background
frites/french fries Sète market, languedoc, france
tapenade, Sète market, languedoc, france
ratatouille, Sète market, languedoc, france
anchois a la provencale, Sète market, languedoc, france
citron confit, Sète market, languedoc, france
Sète market, languedoc, france
shopping for aubergines, Sète market, languedoc, france
Camargue red rice, Sète market, languedoc, france
Sète market, languedoc, france

Recent posts

Discovering fairytale Saxony in Germany

January 25, 2023

Fake meat taste test for Veganuary

January 8, 2023

A round-up of my favourite travel destinations of 2022

January 1, 2023

Previous Post: « Vegetarian BBQ recipe: baked plantain with chilli, lime and coriander
Next Post: My secret tea at an 18th century house in Spitalfields »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah Trivuncic

    August 13, 2015 at 10:13 am

    I love this part of France and the squid pies are one of my favourite French local specialities. The local dish seche a la rouille is wonderful too – so tender, far from the rubbery stuff you get here!

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      August 14, 2015 at 9:45 pm

      Me too I love it. From Carcassonne to Sete and to the Spanish border. The food was so good.

      Reply
  2. Cate Lawrence

    August 13, 2015 at 11:20 am

    what beautiful photos! I lover farmer's markets and really miss the beautfiul ones of Leipzig in the market square twice a week

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      August 14, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks Cate, I love markets too. So many characters, I love the social aspect as well.

      Reply
  3. Sally - My Custard Pie

    September 7, 2015 at 10:02 am

    The flavours sound so vivid. Another place on food led travel bucket list. If it makes you feel any better I watched a two year go under the water in the swimming pool and alerted the lifeguard. The French mother had left he daughter in the pool with no armbands and went off to get a camera. Perfect parenting no such thing

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuv Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuvio,the Christmas 🍅, which lasts up to a year fresh. It’s given boxed as gifts around Christmas being the only local fresh tomato available. It dresses all the Christmas pizzas and pastas. It’s grown on volcanic Vesuvius soil and sparsely watered. As a result it has thick skins, and a sweet intense flavour. #tomatoes #italy #naples
Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick laye Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick layer of dust over my kitchen. This will be my dining room/photography studio. Done on a whim.#unplanneddemolition
Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a n Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a nest of apricot tulle (found at portobello market). Isn’t she lovely? #granfluencer
Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is defin Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is definitely a week for soups. My friend @jimfrommanc is staying & needs his hot lunch.
Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Ven Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Venice the fresh food market sells bouquets of colourful chillies. I’ve still got mine, drying in an enamel jug. #travelandfood
The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read all about it: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/12/christmas-in-naples.html  Got a couple of bunches hanging in my kitchen. #naples #campania #tomatoes🍅 #travelphotography
Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Italian outfit I bought in Naples on a William Morris playmat which looks great and is practical for tummy time. So many things are different about parenting now. Parents use apps to track feeding, pooing, weeing etc. You don’t bathe them anymore for the first few weeks because you want to leave the vernix ( the white waxy stuff they are covered in at birth) on their skin as long as possible. Nappies now have a line on them that turns blue if they’ve done a pee. White noise apps to help them sleep. New technology guides new parents. As well as ancient probably prehistoric customs being rediscovered. #granfluencer #grandaughter I’ve tagged in @siennamarla and @jamescalmus as the authors of this baby.
I made two dishes from one pack of white beans las I made two dishes from one pack of white beans last night. Soak, then cook with 2 stock cubes, water & a fan of bay leaves. When soft & cooked, scoop some into a soup bowl with plenty of stock, add white wine, fresh basil and or a scoop of pesto and a squeeze of lemon for soupe au pistou. Garnish with Parmesan. Today I cooked the pot until the liquid had almost disappeared and added a block of feta. I baked this in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, added @pomoragoodfood new olive oil, salt and pepper for a gigantes plaki (but with smaller beans). Eat more beans!
What to make when you have lots of leftover egg yo What to make when you have lots of leftover egg yolks after making a pavlova? Zabaglione, that classic Italian trattoria dessert made from egg yolks, sugar & tons of masala sweet wine. Whisk it up over a bain-marie or be a bit cheaty & add a teaspoon of cornflour. Strong wrists needed. #italianfood #christmasdesserts #leftovers #cooksmart
The unpackaged vegan meats. My panel of 4 ( from c The unpackaged vegan meats. My panel of 4 ( from carnivore, to recent vegetarian, to long-time vegetarian to never eaten meat (my daughter)) tasted 18. It was quite a bushtucker trial. Carnivores & vegetarians liked very different things. Full report in next weeks @hamandhigh #veganuary #vegan #vegetarian #tastetest #fakemeat #plantbasedmeat
Fake meatathon tasting taking place as my veganuar Fake meatathon tasting taking place as my veganuary column for @hamandhigh So many companies doing this now. As a longtime vegetarian I don’t want anything that tastes too much like meat. But new vegetarians and vegans may want something that tastes close as damnit to meat in order to stave off cravings? Which category are you in? Have you any favourites or dislikes? Is this just another example of ultra-processed food? Let me know in the comments #vegan #vegetarian #meatfree #veganuary
Pasta buselli al cedro. Cedro or citron is a fragr Pasta buselli al cedro. Cedro or citron is a fragrant citrus & one of the founding citrus (along with pomelo and mandarin) that created all the other citrus fruits you know about. Usually candied, it is also used in this unusual neopolitan recipe in which you soak the zest in the pasta water overnight before cooking. Post up on the blog later today. Board a Xmas present from @siennamarla #pasta #naples #cedro #citrus
My london garden ce matin My london garden ce matin
My Sacher Torte (1 word or 2?) with a difference- My Sacher Torte (1 word or 2?) with a difference- bergamot marmalade in the middle. In the @hamandhigh this week. It’s bloody delicious. #chocolatecake #feelaustria #untoldstories #vienna #sachertorte
These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’ These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’ in Neapolitan dialect. They are a Christmas apple, in season now. I bought this little model basket of apples in San Gregorio di Armenia street in Naples where every year neopolitans buy something to add to their ‘presepe’ or nativity scene. Often scenes from markets to add to the expensive, anything from 500 euros to 5000 euros nativity crèches. Around Christmas this street is packed (watch out for pickpockets) with locals and tourist picking out their addition to the scene. Melanurca apples are picked in September then laid on the ground to ripen, turning them every day by hand, to ensure all sides transform from a yellow green into a Wicked Witch red. They are very healthy, particularly for your hair, according to scientists at the university of Naples. #naples #neopolitanchristmas #melanurca  #food #travel #sangregorioarmeno #presepenapoletano #nativityscenes
The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio, The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio, a local tomato that is sold around Christmas in Naples. It is grown with very little irrigation and lasts fresh up to a year. Hence it is used for tomato based Christmas dishes. This tomato has a thick skin and is really intense in flavour. It hangs outside grocers, on balconies, in kitchens, having been braided by ladies into bunches of 1.5 kilos. Each costs 15 euros. I went to visit the farmers and the ladies skilfully tying the tomatoes into clusters, using the vines to fasten them, like cherries. Boxed, these are given as gifts. Reel on the way! #naples #christmas #tomatoes #travel #food
Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as black and white and stick to that palette. For Sicily & Naples I’m doing red, white & black. I’ve bought @coti_vision red glasses chain, a red beret & a black one, a pair of red @snagtights & a black pair, a red hair clasp, a red & white pair of shoes (25 euros, leather from Naples), a red & white dress, a black & white striped dress, and so on. Do you roll? Do you flatten & spread? Do you fold? How do you pack? A few days before I leave I leave my suitcase open in my bedroom and every time I think of something I need to take I sling it in there. ( like adaptors) Last thing is wash bag ( I have a hanging one which is useful) and coat (red for this trip). Basically I colour code my life. When I did the Camino everything was blue & yellow, the colours of the Camino. When I went to Ireland I took all my green clothes ( I don’t have many). If I go on a boat trip I pack blue and white. #packing #colourcoding #travel #mysuitcase
Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicili Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicilian fish dish, baked on onions, studded with garlic cloves wrapped in mint leaves, then more onions, capers, olives, oregano & rosemary. Use a thick central slice of swordfish (where can I get that in london?). I’m tasting grillo & Nero d’avola wines @tenutorapitala about an hour inland from Palermo. The owner is the last count Bernard de La gatinais. He has 3 daughters. He’s French (Brittany) and Sicilian. He spoke about how difficult it has been for wine growers since lockdown- so many restaurants closed. Now they are grappling with high energy & fuel costs. ##winesofsicilia #siciliaDOC #wine #travel #sicily
I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I lo I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I love boats and water. #biennalearte2022
London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield wit London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield with mikawa citrus (cross between mandarin & pomelo) and home pickled green peppercorns on a plate I bought in minori Italy. #londonfood #citrus #sundaylunch
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover