Thanks to its extensive coastline and the multitude of fishing ports, Brittany reaps the harvest of the sea. Shellfish are the flagship of Breton cuisine. Many varieties live on the beach strands, such as razor shells, “palourdes” and “praires” (a type of clam), cockles, whelks, ormers, prawns and shrimps.
Mussels are cultivated on special hurdles, known as “bouchots”, together with varieties of oyster, dependant on the region. In deeper waters Coquille Saint-Jacques, langoustines and lobsters are caught. Brittany is also home to a variety of edible crabs, such as the so called “sleepy" crab, the green crab, the velvet and the spider crab.
The Breton coast teems with hundreds of species of fish. During fish auctions at ports there may be sardines, pollack, mackerel, bass, angler fish, sole, place, ling, hake, skate, conger eel, turbot, bream, wrasse and whiting. The Breton rivers also play host to many fresh water fish such as salmon, trout and pike.
