from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Bar, Bar Commun, Loup, Loup de Mer.
The European seabass
Photograph courtesy of 4johnny5
French chefs, along with the French
people, have always had an open love affair with fish and seafood. That love
may be seen in countless recipes that were, and still are, created in their
thousands. The French love of fish and seafood is consummated, in mainland
France, in more specialist fish and seafood restaurants, per capita, than any
other western nation. The choice of fish and seafood in France's fish
restaurants is staggering; to their wide variety add France's unique and
extensive selection of wines and cheeses; these additions allow for the
creation of dishes that other nations can only dream of.
Cod in cider with
Swiss chard and fried mussels.
Photograph courtesy
of Arnold Gatilao
This is not a post about one particular
fish or one specific member of the seafood family. This is an introduction to
the fish and seafood that have links in this blog. French cuisine has so much
to offer, and this is a reminder not forget when considering where to dine in
France that the fish and seafood they prepare are exceptional.
Menus of even relatively small French
restaurants that do not specialize in fish still often have one or more fish
dishes on their menu. For visitors from the UK and North America, even those
limited choices may still include a fish that is rarely seen in the UK and
probably never in North America.
Click the links below; they include many
of France's favorite fish and seafood:
Aiguillat, Saumonette, and Rousette
Aiguille, Aiguillette or Orphie.
Anchois - Anchovies, the Fish.
A genuine
bouillabaisse is a whole meal.
Do not order an hors d’oeuvre or an entrée if
you are in a
restaurant that serves a real
bouillabaisse; it is a very large meal.
Photograph courtesy
of Mira nyaa_birdies_perch.
www.flickr.com/photos/birdies-perch/407676260/
Pike
Photograph
courtesy of Biodiversity Library.
Cabillaud and Morue – Cod.
Cod
Photograph courtesy of the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs
Carpe – Carp.
Dorade or Dorade Royale – Gilthead.
Dorade Coryphène – The Pompano Dolphin Fish
Dover Sole or Sole Française.
Églefin, Eglefin, Aiglefin, and Haddock
Swordfish in the Eastern Mediterranean
Fera, Féra, or Palée du Léman – Broad Whitefish.
Hareng
Lotte or Baudroie
Maigre – Meagre.
Mulet and Mulet Dore on French Menus.
Merlan – Whiting.
Omble Chevalier
Freshwater
Char
www.flickr.com/photos/63457916@N00/4306254774/
Pageot, the fish – Sea Bream.
Perche, Perche Commune.
Rascasse - The Scorpion
Rouget Barbet and Rougets de Roche
Saint-Pierre - John Dory.
Sandre – Zander or Pike-Pearh.
Sardine, Sardine Commune - Sardines.
If you
have not tasted freshly grilled sardines,
you have
not really tasted sardines.
Saumon
The Atlantic Salmon
Silure or Silure Glane - France’s favorite catfish.
Sole Limande
Thon
Truite
Rainbow
Trout
www.flickr.com/photos/rangewriter/26135904959/
Seafood
Algue or Algue de Mer – Seaweed.
Amander de Mer – the Sea Almond.
Anguille, Anguille d'Europe
Bulot, Bourget or Buccin.
Calmar, Calamar, Chipirons, and Encornets – Calamari.
Caviar and Esturgeon.
Cocktail de Fruits de Mer
A Conger Eel looking out from its cave
and considering a possible main course for dinner.
Coques - Cocques
Coquilles Saint-Jacques and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle
Cuisses de Grenouilles
Crabes
King
Crab.
This is a
six and one-half kilo (14.3 lb) King Crab.
Photograph
courtesy of A. Lau.
Crabe de Neige -The Snow Crab
Crevettes – Shrimps and prawns.
Écrivisse
Homard
Huitres
Oysters
www.flickr.com/photos/jamesonfink/6193251586/
Huitres II Oysters II
Langouste
The Langouste, the rock lobster on the Left
the Homard, the two clawed lobster is on the right
Langoustine – The Dublin Bay Prawn or Scampi.
Moules - Mussels in France.
France borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea; to those borders add the oceans and seas that border France's five overseas departments and its many administered territories. These oceans and seas provide France with fishing rights greater than all the other countries of Europe combined. To these fishery resources add mainland France's hundreds of freshwater lakes, streams, rivers, and its immense aquaculture industry. France's fishermen and fisherwomen are working 24/7, and they are working very hard. The result is a diversity of fish that is truly astounding.
The Pink Shrimp
Visitors to France will have heard or read that the majority of French men and women enjoy a daily glass, or two, of red wine. Their daily intake of red wine has been proven to contain unique antioxidants that are good for the heart; with that knowledge the French now enjoy their red wine even more. In fish restaurants, the product looking after the hearts and the health of the French citizenry is not their many superb white wines which do not contain the same antioxidants; like the rest of us the French only occasionally drink red wine with fish. In fish restaurants, looking after the health of the diners are essential fatty acids that come from fish Omega-3. Today, France competes only with Iceland, Japan, Spain and Portugal with the amount of fish eaten per capita. Omega-3 is helping to keep French citizens healthy. Fish, French cuisine, and good health are inseparable.
Cockles.
Usually, my search for the correct English names for the fish offered in France’s restaurants, along with the origins and information behind certain recipes, begins with lunch or dinner. Those searches included many mangled French and English discussions with Maitre D's, waiters and waitresses, and occasionally with the chefs themselves. I visited fish restaurants, sometimes just to see their menus, I visited fish markets, and on a few occasions the port-side fish markets in fishing villages. When I later double checked the information that I had acquired, I learned again and again that the French citizenry certainly do know their fish and seafood.
Shad
Local names for a fish sometimes make it to menus of the larger restaurants and can confuse the visitor. So do not be surprised when occasionally your French-English dictionary offers no help. The multiplicity of different names for a single fish is not unique to France. Most other countries have more than one name for a particular fish; the UK, the USA, Germany, Spain, and Italy all have more than one name for many popular fish. In France, some of the names come from old French, old French dialects; others come from Basque, Spanish, the Occitan language and its dialects. I still, occasionally, needed the help of professional ichthyologists; ichthyologists are those who study fish and they also search for or know the correct English names along with the Latin. That professional help with fish names and other bits of fishy information came mostly from Froese, R., and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org.
Bon Appétit – Enjoy!
Searching for words, names or phrases on French Menus?
Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 400 articles that include over 3,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019.
