Crevettes and Gambas - Shrimps and Prawns. Shrimps in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Shrimp on the menu.

Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack

www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/4978036874/

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Crevettes and gambas on French menus

     

In France, the word crevettes may be used for any shrimp or prawn, with the Spanish word gamba being used to suggest larger sizes.  A marine biologist will tell you that shrimps and prawns are two quite distinct species; however, who is going to spend the time to re-educate me, other diners around the world, as well as the chefs. When in France and you want to order shrimp or prawns in a restaurant, a fishmonger, or a supermarket, just order crevettes or gambas.  N.B.:  In this post, where possible, I am only using the word shrimps; that may avoid some of the confusion in English. (The Dublin Bay Prawn, in France called the langouste, is neither a shrimp nor a prawn.  See the post Langoustine).

     

Traditional shrimp fishing with horses, Belgium.

Photograph courtesy of  bDom -artiste

www.flickr.com/photos/bdom/36211807111/

  

Shrimps on the menu.

      

French chefs create wonderful dishes with shrimp and in French seafood restaurants, you may order a number of different shrimps. Two of the shrimps offered will be the two most popular pink or red shrimps; a third will be the smaller but very tasty crevette gris, a gray or brown sand shrimp. After these popular three, there are many others, with the crevette géante tigrée, the giant tiger shrimp, leading the popularity stakes. Other shrimps may be on the menu using local or traditional names. Do not be surprised if confusion with some shrimp names occasionally reaches your menu.

   

Shrimps in a seafood market in Avignon, France.

Photograph courtesy of David Brossard

www.flickr.com/photos/string_bass_dave/34017890395/

               

Shrimp dishes on French menus:

  

Brochettes de Crevettes Grillées -  Skewers of grilled shrimps.           

       

Cocktail de Crevettes or a Cocktail aux Crevettes - A shrimp cocktail.  French shrimp cocktails will usually have a fresh mayonnaise or a Sauce Rosé also called a Sauce Calypso or Sauce Cocktail.  They will not be served with American cocktail sauce; the European taste for seafood cocktails does not include horseradish. The basic recipe for this sauce is mayonnaise, ketchup, and Worcestershire Sauce or Tabasco, sometimes with added cognac. 

   

Shrimp and avocado salad.

Photograph courtesy of Foodista

www.flickr.com/photos/foodista/14320970230/

  

 Crevettes Décortiquées – Peeled shrimps.

    

Crevettes Ail et Persil a la Plancha – Shrimps flavored with garlic and parsley, cooked on a plancha.  The plancha is a solid, thick, flat sheet metal cooking plate and achieves a cooking taste somewhere between grilling and frying.  The plancha may look something like the flat cooking plate of a fast food restaurant; however,  a real plancha has three times the thickness and that gives a very even heat. The Basques claim ownership, as do the Spanish. In the Basque language, a plancha is called a planxa and that name will be on many South-Western French menus.  

                 

The most popular shrimps on French menus:

  

Crevette gris:

    

Crevette gris, crevette boucot, crevette boucard or sauterelle–  The sand shrimp, or gray or brown sand shrimp. These are small but very tasty, small, shrimps. When on the menu a sand shrimp cocktail beats a regular shrimp cocktail hands- down. These shrimps, like others, turn pinkish after cooking.

   

Plenty of sand shrimp

The planted tank net

    

La Bisque de Crevettes Grises  – A sand shrimp bisque. For more about bisques click here.

  

Croquettes de Crevettes Grises aux Fine Herbes  –  Round or log shaped chopped sand shrimps, flavored with France’s favorite herb group, Les Fines Herbes, covered in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Delicious.

  

Crevettes Gris de Zeebrugge –  The same sand shrimp as elsewhere; however, here the menu is telling you that these were caught off the coast of Zeebrugge, the port and seaside resort of Brugge, Belgium. There are places at sea considered uniquely special for the fish and seafood caught there. Provenance at sea can affect your wallet as much as it does on land. If you can taste the difference, you will have to pay for it.

               

Tartare d'Avocats aux Crevettes Grises et Pamplemousse – A tartar of avocado, sand shrimps, and grapefruit.
  

Sand shrimps in the languages of France’s neighbors:  

(Catalan - gamba d'esquer), (Dutch - noordzeegarnaal or grijze garnaal), (German – sandgarnele), (Italian - gamberetto grigio or gambero  grigi),  (Spanish – camarón gris, gamba  gris, quisquilla gris).         

    

Crevette Rose 

 

Crevette Rose or Crevette Bouquette – The common prawn, the pink shrimp; one of the two most popular shrimps on French menus. These shrimps can be up to 10 cms long. They will be part of many recipes and nearly always part of a seafood platter. These shrimps are a favorite for shrimp cocktails. N.B.: The pink shrimp on French menus is not the same as the North American pink shrimp.

    

Shrimp buffet

Photograph courtesy of INRA DIST

www.flickr.com/photos/inra_dist/25605258181/

           

Cocktail de Crevettes Rose à l'Avocat – A  pink shrimp served in half an avocado.  Fresh mayonnaise or Sauce Calypso (Sauce Marie Rose), will accompany the serving.

 

Crevettes Roses Grillées au Beurre à l'Ail – Pink shrimps grilled with garlic flavored butter.

        

Flan d'Endives aux Crevettes Rose, Sauce Moutarde – A flan or tart made with Belgian endives.  Here the pink shrimp will be cooked together with the endives and when ready placed on the flan and served with a mustard sauce.

   

Pink shrimps in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan -pandàlids), (German - tiefseegarnele), (Italian – gambero rosso), (Spanish - camarón, rosado).

Crevette Nordique:

  

Crevette Rouge, Crevette Nordique – The Northern shrimp, the Norwegian wild prawn, the Northern pink shrimp, the Deep-Water prawn.  These shrimps are almost always part of a shellfish platter. N.B. The Northern pink shrimp on French and other European menus is not the same as the North American pink shrimp.

                                     

Salade de Crevettes Nordiques et Artichaut aux Agrumes  - A salad of the northern pink shrimps served with artichokes and citrus fruits.

The crevette rouge, the Northern shrimp.

Photograph courtesy of Håkan Dahlström

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dahlstroms/4408094771/sizes/l

 

Filet de Lotte avec Crevettes Nordiques – A filet of monkfish tail served with northern pink shrimps.

  

Tagliatelle aux Crevettes Nordiques et au Pineau des Charentes – The northern pink shrimp served with tagliatelle and flavored with Pineau de Charentes. Pineau de Charentes is a unique and popular aperitif from  France’s Cognac region. For more about Pineau de Charentes click here.

 

Northern pink shrimps in the languages of France’s neighbors:  

(Catalan - gamba boreal), (German -  eismeergarnele, nordmeer or nordische garnele), (Italian -, gamberetto boreali), (Spanish – camarón norteño).

   

Crevette Géante Tigrée 

                                

Crevette Tigrée or Crevette Géante Tigrée  - The tiger shrimp, giant tiger shrimp,  the jumbo tiger prawn, the black giant tiger shrimp. This large shrimp originated in Asia and while giant tiger shrimps are caught in the wild most come from shrimp farms. The stripes gave the shrimp the tiger in its name.  Caveat emptor: Other large shrimp from the Mediterranean and shrimp farms are also called tiger shrimps.  If you really want the giant tiger shrimp, check with the server if the menu listing is for the crevette géante tigrée. 

       

Tiger prawns

Photograph courtesy of Henrik Bennetsen

www.flickr.com/photos/mysterybee/141083247/

      

Crevettes Géante Tigrée Flambées Rhum, Ananas, Piments d'Espelette – Giant tiger shrimps prepared with pineapples and Espelette Peppers flambéed in rum. Espelette AOP peppers have been grown in France for hundreds of years. The town of Espelette is in the French Basque Country and its peppers are part of many Basque and Basque-influenced French dishes. In season, the houses in and around Espelette may be seen covered in drying peppers.   

     

Crevettes Tigrées Géantes et Pétoncles Sautés de l’Atlantique Nord dans Notre Sauce Rosée – Giant tiger shrimps and queen scallops from  the North Atlantic served with our sauce rose.

  

Giant tiger shrimps in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Dutch - grote tijgergarnaal or reuzen-tijgergarnaal), (German – riesengarnele), (Italian - gambero tigre gigante), (Spanish - camarón tigre gigante, langostino jumbo).

Shrimps, when cooked, have meat that will be white, pinkish or bluish-white and firm when cooked.  If it you are served a shrimp that is soft or pasty then it is not fresh; do not eat it. Send it back. Do not eat pasty shrimps unless they are being sold as fish paste!

The general name for shrimps in the languages of France's neighbors:

(Catalan – gambe), (German – garnelen, krevette, crevetten), (Italian -gamberetti, gamberone), (Spanish – gamba).

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France's Butter Sauces I. The Three Most Popular Butter Sauces on French Menus.

 

Garlic – Ail. Garlic in French Cuisine. Herbs and Spices in the French Kitchen.

 

How Seafood Cocktails Ended up on Menus in France.

 

Lobster tails. Thank the Rock lobster, Spiny Lobster or Crawfish. Among the Crustaceans on your French Menu. Crustaceans IV. –

 

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Pineau de Charentes; the Aperitif of France’s Cognac region. Cognac III.

http://behind-the-french-menu.blogspot.co.il/2013/12/pineau-de-charentes-aperitif-of-frances.html

Raifort – Horseradish. Horseradish on French Menus.

Steak Tartar, Tuna Tartar or Vegetable Tartar on Your French Menu?

Tabasco Sauce, its Origins, and its Place in French Cuisine.

  

The Fine Herbs; Les Fine Herbes; the Most Important Herb Group in French Cuisine.

The King Scallop and the Queen Scallop. On French Menus the Saint-Jacque, the Coquilles Saint-Jacques, and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle.
  

Searching for the meaning of 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
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com 
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2024.
 

 

Filet de Veau - The Veal Tenderloin, or Veal Fillet.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com

 
Filet de Veau Rôti, Beurre Café de Paris,
Ratatouille, Pommes Anna
Roast veal fillet, Café de Paris butter, ratatouille, Anna potatoes.
Photograph courtesy of Haydn Blackey
https://www.flickr.com/photos/haydn/52300888828/
 

A Filet de Veau is the veal fillet, the tenderloin; it is the most expensive and tenderest of all veal cuts. However, it is not the most flavorful option. In France and elsewhere, a veal fillet will be served with a sauce, as it's the texture that truly makes this dish so special. Never order this cut well-done, as it has little natural fat and would quickly dry out. Even with barding (wrapping with bacon or pork fat cuts to prevent the filet from drying out). A well-done fillet would taste like cardboard. (See Chapter 1 for ordering a steak cooked the way you like it.)

Veal fillets on French menus:

Filet de Veau Poêlé et sa Fondue de Champignons - A fillet of veal lightly fried and served with button mushrooms that have been so well-cooked that they are nearly a sauce.

Fondue: The word comes from the French verb fondre, which means to warm, mix, and melt; in this case, that's vegetables that have been cooked to a soft, almost sauce-like consistency. 

Fondues also describe foods cooked in a central pot on the diner's table.  Cheese fondues are probably of Swiss origin, while France and Switzerland debate the origins and ownership of the various meat fondues. The first French cookbook published with a recipe for a cheese fondue was a Fondue Fromage, aux Truffes Fraîches, a cheese fondue with fresh truffles; the cheese would have been Gruyère or Parmesan. That early recipe was published in Le Cuisinier Moderne, The Modern Cook, a five-volume work first published in 1735 and attributed to Vincent La Chapelle (1690-1745).  The original five volumes are available to read, without charge, online at the French National Library.

  

Ris et Filet de Veau au Raifort, Minute de Pousses d’Épinards -  A dual serving of veal sweetbreads and veal fillet flavored with horseradish, accompanied by very lightly fried spinach shoots.  

Ris de Veau (Chapter 11) - Veal sweetbreads; the joy of gourmands; one of the finest and most easily digested cuts. Sweetbreads have a unique texture and are best with simple recipes, so their delicate flavor is not obscured. Most French chefs only use lamb and veal, while you might find the stronger-tasting sweetbreads from piglets, beef, or goats in a French country restaurant.

Raifort: Horseradish.   The horseradish on French menus comes from farmed plants. The origins of the English name horseradish are lost in culinary history, but despite the name, this plant is not appreciated by horses. For those who like foraging, wild horseradish grows all over Europe and has inviting white flowers. The leaves of the plant may reach one meter (3') high, but the root is the only part used.

  

Ris et Filet de Veau, Sauce Bearnaise.
Veal sweetbreads and veal filet with Sauce Bearnaise.
Photograph courtesy of Inspirational Food
www.flickr.com/photos/food-porn/36259352675/

 

Filet de Veau aux Herbes Fraîches Sauce Balsamique– A veal fillet cooked in fresh herbs and a balsamic vinegar sauce.

Balsamic vinegar:  This vinegar comes from the Trebbiano grape, but unlike most grape-based vinegars, it was never a wine. However, despite never having been a wine, the vinegar itself does ferment.  The unique taste is not only due to the grape but also to the manner in which it is aged. The aging process takes the vinegar through five different wooden barrels, each adding to the flavor. As part of its aging, the cellar master, in a manner similar to fine wines, must evaluate the exact amount of fermentation as the vinegar passes through the five barrels:  oak, chestnut, cherry, ash and finally mulberry, before being bottled. A young balsamic vinegar will rarely be less than five years old.

The finest balsamic vinegars are aged for 15 - 30 years and are more expensive than many fine wines. Foods and salads prepared with balsamic vinegar offer a different and unique taste.

 

Filet de Veau de Nos Alpages, Sauce à l'Ail Noir et Échalotes Confites – A filler of veal from the calves raised on the herbs in our high pastures served with a black garlic sauce and a shallot confit, a jam. (The term alpage is used for the high pastures anywhere in France and not just those near the Alps.)

Ail Noir - Black Garlic. Within the limits of our Western languages, we easily identify the four tastes that we call: sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  However, there was always another taste that would sometimes roll around in our mouths, but we had no word for it; we just called it tasty. The word most frequently used when discussing black garlic is umami, a Japanese term meaning delicious and savory/tasty. 

However, long before we were children, in 1907, Professor Kikunae Ikeda at Tokyo University had already identified that other taste, and he called it umami.  The taste comes from MSG (monosodium L-glutamate), which can occur naturally, and we sensed its effect on our taste buds. (MSG can also be added as a taste enhancer).  Many chefs define umami as a hint of meat and savory with a note of balsamic vinegar; you know the taste is there even if you do not use the word umami.  

To produce black garlic, the producer begins with white garlic, which is not fermented, pickled or caramelized; it is very, very slowly cooked in a very humid and closed environment at 60 ᵒC (140ᵒF) for a period of 30–45 days until it turns black. The garlic that comes out of the cooker is black, soft and chewy without any white garlic smell or taste, but its effect on other dishes is impressive; it adds a unique flavor to the dishes with which it is combined.

 

Veal fillet, the tenderloin, wrapped in ham.
Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack
www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/445549684/

 

Filet de Veau de Lait Grillé, Jus aux Morillons Légèrement Crémé, Garniture – A grilled milk-fed veal fillet accompanied by its natural cooking juices and served with a lightly creamed sauce of half-free morel mushrooms and the grilled veal’s natural cooking juices. Vegetables accompany the dish.  

Morillons: The half-free morel mushrooms look somewhat similar to and taste much like the regular morel mushrooms, but with a much smaller cap and a shorter stem that is more easily cooked.

The half-free morel mushroom
Photograph courtesy  of terry priest
www.flickr.com/photos/artfarmer/5617844058/

 

DO NOT CONFUSE THE USA FILET MIGNON (which is beef) WITH THE FRENCH FILET MIGNON DE VEAU (veal).

For the French Beef Filet Mignon, see Chapter 20. 

The French language owns the rights to the term Filet Mignon, and it translates as a "Dainty Filet".  The word is used for the narrow end of the fillet, the tenderloin. A filet mignon de veau for veal is not to be confused with the American use of the term filet mignon for beef.  Additionally, a calf in the USA is not necessarily a calf in France and the UK.

In France, at the age of one year, a calf becomes a Jeune Bovin (a young bovine) and its meat can no longer be sold as veal.  The UK uses the same rules as France.

However, the USA has no legal age limit for a calf, though at two years of age, a calf or heifer becomes a cow, while a male, if castrated, becomes a steer, regardless of age.

Filet Mignon de Veau on French Menus :

Filet Mignon De Veau Charolaise, Son Jus Aux Escargots Du Brionnais Et Porto Rouge – A cut from a tenderloin of Charolais veal served with a sauce made from the natural cooking juices and farmed petit gris snails, from the Brionnaise area of the Saône-et-Loire in South Burgundy, and a red Port wine sauce.

Charolais: The Charolaise AOC cattle were the third breed to receive an AOC for their consistently high quality.   To the French AOC has been added the Pan-European AOP.

Escargots: Ordering snails in France should not be strange. If you like seafood such as mussels, conch, winkles, and periwinkles, etc., you'll likely appreciate escargots, as they all belong to the same family as snails. They are very close family members.  "Escargots du Brionnais" are the brand from a snail farm close to a village in the Brionnais region of Burgundy, France.

The Brionnais are "gros gris," which translates as the "large grey," though they are from the family of the petit gris, the smaller of the two snails that are popular in France.

The French know a thing or two about good food, and snails are considered to be among the tastiest members of their extended family.  The central and very obvious difference is that escargots grow on land and not in the sea.

The meat of all snails and their seafood relatives is quite similar. Consider moules, mussels, or popular sea snails like bulots, whelks, and bigorneaux, winkles or periwinkles. However, when asked, I do not say they taste like chicken! Although the sauce and cooking method, like many chicken dishes, may change the taste of your escargots. The texture of snail meat is similar to that of their family members, so in if you like mussels and or cockles, you will like snails. If you have been to the Caribbean and enjoyed conch, you will enjoy France's snails even more. 

 

Charolais cattle
Photograph courtesy of JPC24M
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cjp24/5870867411/

 

Filet Mignon De Veau, Fricassée De Rattes Et Eryngii, Sauce Au Vin Rouge Et Morilles – A veal filet mignon alongside a stew of ratte potatoes and farmed King Trumpet Oyster mushrooms served with a sauce made with red wine and wild morel mushrooms.

Pommes de Terre Ratte or La Ratte: A small French potato, also called the Asparge Potato. It is not a new variety in France but a born-again potato. This potato originally came from Denmark, became popular and then went out of fashion for a few years. The Ratte was reintroduced and is again much appreciated for its taste and smooth, slightly buttery texture; its name will be on many menus.

In French, ratte does mean a rat or possibly a mouse; however, that just refers to its uncooked form. With a bit of imagination, these potatoes may resemble a crouching mouse. This potato's fame is in the taste, not the name.

Now, to decide whether the English translation of a ratte should be a mouse or a rat, read Umberto Eco's book, "A Mouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation."

Eringy or Pleurote du Panicaut: The King Oyster mushroom or King Trumpet Mushroom is the largest and meatiest of the family of oyster mushrooms. It tastes and looks very different from the rest of the oyster mushroom family. The King Oyster mushroom can be grilled, roasted, sautéed, and is often part of stir-fried recipes. Unlike some other mushrooms, which have tough stems, this mushroom is different, and its meaty stem makes it a popular addition to vegetarian or vegan dishes. It can be sliced lengthwise and grilled like a steak, shredded, or cut into rounds that look like imitation scallops.

Morille: Morels are a prized family of tasty mushrooms with a decidedly different look to most other mushrooms and a slightly nutty taste. Morels lack the gills and domed caps of many other mushrooms, but they all have white to ivory-coloured stems and a honeycombed conical cap.  Dried morel caps, which you may see in the market, appear tube-shaped due to the drying process. However, when rehydrated, the conical cap returns. The morels' taste and texture make them a French favorite; they are served fresh from early spring through to the beginning of June. (The idea that morel stems are not edible is an urban legend, though they are tougher than the cap and require a longer cooking time.)

 

 

 The Ratte du Touquet

This is a commercial brand of the Ratte potato only grown in the north of France.

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

 

-------------------------------------------------

Searching for the meaning of 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 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

 

------------------------------------------

 

Connected Posts:

Ail Noir - Black garlic. Black Garlic in French Cuisine.

Artichaut de Jérusalem or Topinambour - The Jerusalem Artichoke or Sunchoke on French Menus.

 

Bœuf Charolais - The Charolais Beef. Le Bœuf Charolais du Bourbonnais AOP - The Charolais Beef is Considered Among the Best France.

 

Champignons on French Menus. The Champignon de Paris, the Button Mushroom in French Cuisine.

 

Confit?  All About That Confit on Your French Menu. Confit in French Cuisin

 

Échalotes - Shallots. Shallots on French Menus. Shallots are One of the Most Important Herbs in the French Kitchen

 

Escargots - Snails. Snails in French Cuisine. How to Order Snails in France.

 

Morille, the Morel Mushroom. Morel mushrooms on French Menus.

 

Port or Porto - Port Wine in French Cuisine. Port on French Menus

 

Raifort – Horseradish. Horseradish on French Menus.

 

Ris de Veau (d'Agneau) - Sweetbreads on French Menus. When sweetbreads are on the menu in France do not pass them by.

 

The Cèpe - The French Porcini Mushroom. The Cepe in French Cuisine.

 

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.

---------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

bryangnewman@gmail.com

Copyright 2010, 2019, 2025

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