By Anne the 15/05/2024

The sea and its fishing paradise

A mountain deeply inspired by the sea and a wealth of treasures

The island's inland mountains and climates are famous for their charcuterie and cheeses. The sea and ponds are not to be outdone when it comes to lavishing their riches. Since ancient times, particularly with the Romans, these treasures have been on the export trail. Diana oysters, lobsters, line-caught fish - there's a wide range of delicacies from an authentic Corsica that you need to know how to cook.

The vertiginous peaks and abrupt ridges shelter one of the most difficult long-distance hiking trails in the world, providing an opportunity to meet this singular high mountain and the people who have farmed the pastures for thousands of years. The hills are ideal for pork butchery, which has become a sort of emblem of the Corsican hinterland. Local products that are snapped up, that fascinate and stimulate debates on quality and know-how.

But although Corsica is a mountain, its bedrock lies in salt water. An island stretching out to sea, lined with coastlines that are an inviting place to travel and discover. Stretches of water rich in fish, always attracting the few who have preferred the sea to the mountains. On the eastern coast, from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia, the ponds have given mankind areas of production that are unique in the Mediterranean. Exploited since Antiquity to produce dishes with little reputation on the island, they have nonetheless shaped Corsica's reputation throughout the Mediterranean.

As far back as Roman times, oysters from the Diana lagoon were transported to Rome to be savoured. Still today, as the first rays of sunlight tint the sky and the water orange-red, fishermen use their boats to make their furrows on the surface in search of underwater treasures. From shellfish like oysters and mussels to fish like mullet, eels and sardines, and crustaceans like crabs, lobsters and spider crabs. On an island that focuses mainly on local produce, these local delicacies are easier to export than to sell. As a result, eels from Chiurlinu find their way onto Sardinian tables, as does mullet, which is shunned here because of the dull reputation of its meat. And yet the fishermen of Biguglia enjoy them whenever the opportunity arises. For them, it all depends on the skills of the griller.

This fish is also renowned in all the cuisines around the Mediterranean. From Egypt to Corsica, via Portugal. A rare and delicious delicacy, bottarga, is produced from the egg sacs of the female. In Bastia, although its consumption has declined somewhat over the years, it is making a comeback on festive tables in a crème, sauce, grated or plain on a piece of bread, and delighting the taste buds. One establishment run by producers even devotes its entire menu to it.

It's a sort of attempt to revive old memories of a time when seafood filled the plates in this part of the island.

Occasionally, the mountains and the sea come together in a storm of typically local flavours, where brocciu is paired with sardines or mussels, and dry white wines are served with shellfish.

It's easy to understand that, by definition, Corsica and its flavours can only be understood by sampling the best of what the sea has to offer which, despite appearances, is largely turned towards the distant horizon.

The bird pond

The Etang de Biguglia is the ideal place to come and encounter not only the fishermen, but also the wild, preserved, and protected flora and fauna. In the old fort, an eco-museum provides a better understanding of the ecological and economic importance of the site since it was first exploited by man. To the east, a footpath leads along the shore of the pond, hidden behind wooden fences, where you can observe the different species of birds that populate the area, including pink flamingos, coots, and kingfishers.

Heading out to sea

It's possible to sample the pleasures of fishing off the coast of Cap Corse, courtesy of several boatmen who offer introductory fishing trips from the port of Bastia. These introductory days will give you a better understanding of the fish stocks and reveal some of the secrets of big-game fishing.

Flying boats

In recent years, it has become possible to discover the sea and the Bastia coast by boat, but from high above. A semi-rigid flying boat takes off from Arinella and follows the coast to the picture-postcard town of Erbalunga, passing through Bastia's old port. Another point of view, another sensation, an unusual way to admire the coast and its hidden treasures that's accessible to everyone.