Taste the products of the sea | Office de Tourisme de Fécamp

The Alabaster Coast

Land of fishing

If you appreciate tasty dishes, with multiple benefits, let yourself be seduced by marine gastronomy to fill up with iodine and vitamins during your stay.

Low in calories, fish products contain many nutrients necessary for our good health: Omega 3 fatty acid, Vitamin D or B12…

And it’s good timing, you chose Normandy, where nearly 80 different species of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and cephalopods are caught.

Normandy is the 1st French fishing region for shellfish (2/3 of volumes) and the 2nd for sea fishing (1/5th of volumes).

So, which seafood products will you enjoy your vacations with?

Seasonality of species

Coquille Saint Jacques La Nouvelle Vague 1

Let's get in the mood with the Herring Festival?

Our specialties

marine

The herring

king fish of Fécamp

The ways to prepare it are endless!
Whether it’s saur herring (salted, smoked, then preserved in oil), kipper (opened, salted and lightly smoked), plain, smoked, in salads, fermented or filleted, there’s something for everyone!

In the Middle Ages, herring represented a vital food for the peoples of Northern Europe, who moreover made it a currency of exchange in the same way as salt or spices. Its preservation with salt indeed allowed to feed the populations almost throughout the year.

In Fécamp, it is mainly consumed in salad or smoked. Since the 14th century, the saurisseries (salting companies), smoked and worked the herring according to a technique inherited from the Vikings.

In what season to eat herring?

The taste of the herring changes according to the period in which it is caught. October through January, is when herring is most flavorful.

The scallop

Queen of the Normandy Coast

Normandy is the leading French region for scallop fishing, and Fécamp is the port that catches the most scallops!

With its melting flesh stamped “Label Rouge”, the scallop is part of the refined dishes of Normandy, also called the white gold.

It can be eaten raw (tartar, carpaccio) or cooked (pan-fried, roasted or poached), it is rich in iron, zinc, magnesium and vitamins, it is the form asset of the menus of good Norman tables. A treat for the taste buds!

In what season to eat scallops?

The scallop fishery is open from October 1 to May 15.
It is celebrated during “La Grande Débarque”, when the fishing season is open.

Did you know?
To defend the quality of their shellfish, the Normans have obtained two red labels for this precious shellfish:

Red Label Fresh and Whole Scallop: 2002
Red Label Fresh Pecten maximus Scallop Nut: 2009

How to shell a shell?

Mussels

family dish par excellence

Their black and shiny shell, their cream to yellow-orange flesh melting and tasty will delight the taste buds of young and old alike!

To fully enjoy the taste of this seafood, we recommend the recipe for mussels marinières.

For the most original, you can choose mussels with curry, garlic, coconut milk or cooked in risotto, gratin, paella or stuffed in the oven.

In what season to eat mussels?

The season of mussels is in summer! Rope mussels are enjoyed from May to August and bouchot mussels from July to February.

Oysters

food of great flavor

Rich in trace elements, proteins, vitamins and omega 3, the oyster is endowed with a multitude of virtues.

With its pronounced iodine taste in the mouth, it is gladly accompanied by a small glass of white wine!”

To enjoy it without losing its aroma, avoid putting it on ice. It is also recommended to open the oysters 30 minutes before eating them.
Oysters can also be served hot: steamed, baked, poached or even on skewers. But be careful not to exceed the cooking time: no more than 5 minutes!

When is the season to eat oysters?

You can eat oysters from September to March.
From April to August, oysters are in reproduction and this makes the flesh of the seafood milky, which makes it lose some of its flavor.

How to open oysters?

Seafood

for the gourmets

With all these delicious dishes, you don’t know what to choose?
Get a seafood platter or plate!”

How much seafood should you plan for?
It all depends on your appetite, but here’s an idea of how much for one person:

1 half crab or 1 half lobster
3 langoustines
100 g shrimp
200 g whelks
200 g periwinkles
6 oysters

And what about the sides?
Provide bread with half-salt butter, mayonnaise (homemade preferably!), shallot vinegar and lemon wedges. If you want to go off the beaten path, you can opt for a seaweed, chili or citrus butter.

In what season to eat a seafood platter?

The composition of the latter depends on both the season and the arrivals of crustaceans after the fishing.

On a seafood platter, we generally find cooked shellfish (lobster, shrimp, lobster, crab, spider….) and shellfish that can be raw (oysters) or cooked (clams, mussels, whelks…).

Terrines, rillettes, soups...

to taste differently

There are various ways to consume our seafood, but on Fécamp we have very good local producers!

For the aperitif, you will find your happiness with our unique rillettes!
A mixture of fish, spices and local products will mix in your taste buds …

For the dish, try our smoked fish of traditional way, our smoked salmon with string, our soups or our brandades of cod.

The lemon

the essential condiment

Rich in trace elements and low in calories, it is an essential condiment in our diet, but above all the perfect accompaniment for your marine dishes.

So lemon your dishes composed of seafood products!

Did you know?

It’s use in cooking dates back to the Middle Ages.
At the time, it was already used to season dishes.

Good addresses

Want a fisherman’s casserole with shellfish marinara, a back of cod with Benedictine sauce or scallops?
Enjoy plates with iodized flavors at our restaurant owners,
or buy your fish fresh from one of our merchants.

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Our restaurants