In Cassis, at the foot of Cap Canaille, a dish tells a different story about the Mediterranean. In the dishes of La Villa Madie, the sea becomes territory, relief, proximity of species. With The Ecosystem of the Sea by Dimitri Droisneau, an entire underwater landscape condenses.
This signature dish, available in a recipe under the name of, occupies a central place in the chef’s first book. It almost serves as a user manual for understanding its cuisine of ecosystems, nourished by its dives and its producers.
The ecosystem of the sea by Dimitri Droisneau at La Villa Madie
Originally from Normandy, Dimitri Droisneau honed his skills at La Tour d’Argent, Lucas Carton, L’Ambroisie, Le Bristol and Eden Rock before settling down in Cassis. In 2022, the Michelin guide awarded it three stars for this house suspended above Corton Cove.
This table tells as much about a place as it does about a couple and their artisans. On the La Villa Madie website, the house claims a , explains La Villa Madie. His book, 256 pages from Éditions du Chêne, announced for October 7, 2026 at the price of $79, is an extension of this.
Cassis products at the heart of the eco-system of the sea
In this context, the marine terroir of Cassis is concentrated. Food&Sens talks about a , writes Food&Sens. Livestock, murex, sea cucumbers, tracks, cuttlefish, oysters, anemones and John Dory interact as if on the same rocky plateau.
The dish is constructed in small scenes. Livestock fillets brushed with marine plankton, crispy skins, murex cooked with bay leaf, thyme and garlic, carefully washed sea cucumbers, strips stiffened on the plancha, spiral cuttlefish with bottarga, potato balls infused with samphire make up the same relief.
How to approach the sea ecosystem at home
In the center, the broth weaves the link. First a dashi with kombu and katsuobushi, then an Ecosystem broth mixing oyster juice, dashi, champagne, samphire, wild fennel and lemon zest. At home, you can keep this idea of a clear, iodized broth to top simpler shellfish.
To serve, lightly grilled oysters welcome cuttlefish spirals, potato balls, murex, cucumbers, trails, potato spoom and caviar. Next to it, crispy baguettes garnished with smoked John Dory and tartar sauce, plus an anemone in tempura with candied lemon, complete the ecosystem. A white Cassis like the Bel-Arme vintage from Clos Sainte Magdeleine highlights its salinity and iodine.
What is the sea ecosystem by Dimitri Droisneau?
This is the signature dish of La Villa Madie, which showcases the marine ecosystems of Cassis.
What products make up the eco-system of the sea?
There we find live fish, murex, sea cucumbers, tracks, cuttlefish, oysters, anemones, John Dory, potatoes, marine plankton and broth Ecosystem.
Can we create the ecosystem of the sea at home?
The restaurant’s version remains very technical, but the recipe published in the book allows you to recreate its spirit.
