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Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

PGI — Brittany

Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor

« In the icy waters of the baie de Saint-Brieuc sleeps the living treasure of Bretagne: the Coquille Saint-Jacques, queen of the seas, a noble mollusc with a thousand oceanic flavours. »

Seafood from Brittany.

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At a glance

History & Origins

Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

The treasure of the baie de Saint-Brieuc

The Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor carries within it the very essence of maritime Bretagne. For centuries, Breton fishermen have cast their dredges into the tempestuous waters of the baie de Saint-Brieuc, a natural bed covering 150,000 hectares from Cap Fréhel to the archipel de Bréhat, regarded as the second-largest bed of coquilles Saint-Jacques in France. This bivalve mollusc, with its mythical fluted shells, symbolises both the bounty of Breton seas and the ancestral tradition of its seafarers. Since Antiquity, pilgrims travelling to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle in Espagne wore the shell as their emblem; this is why the mollusc bears the name of the patron saint of travellers.

The baie de Saint-Brieuc provides ideal conditions for the natural development of dense colonies: here, the coquille thrives in sandy coastal zones, in nutrient-rich water.

Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

PGI (IGP) recognition and sustainable management

The Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor is recognised as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the European Union under file IG/15/95, honouring regional quality, tradition and savoir-faire. The PGI imposes strict specifications: only coquilles harvested by dredge or diving in the baie de Saint-Brieuc and landed in one of the main ports — Erquy, Loguivy-de-la-mer and Saint-Quay-Portrieux — may claim the label, on the condition that they pass through the fish auction.

Contrary to what might be feared, Coquilles Saint-Jacques will not vanish from our shores. Threatened by excessive fishing pressure in the 1960s and 1970s, the resource has been subject to strict regulation since the initial measures of the 1970s: a fishing ban from May to September, a limit of two outings per week (Monday and Wednesday), quotas established at the start of the season according to stock levels, and mandatory passage through the fish auction to ensure traceability. In 2022, the baie de Saint-Brieuc fishery obtained MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification — the first coquille Saint-Jacques fishery certified by the MSC in France —, testifying to fishing practices that respect the marine environment.

Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

Breton distinction alongside Normandie

Although Normandie (Manche) also produces renowned Coquilles Saint-Jacques, those from the Côtes-d'Armor owe their identity to particularly strict seasonal management. Fishing is prohibited there from May to September, a closure that coincides with the period when the mollusc develops its genital gland — the coral — for reproduction; upon reopening in early October, this phase has ended and the coral has disappeared. On market stalls, the meat is therefore white, with no visible coral: a distinctive trait that has forged the reputation of baie de Saint-Brieuc coquilles in world cuisine. It is this rigorous management of the species' biological cycle that justified its PGI status and continues to distinguish the product on gastronomic tables.

Product characteristics

Sensory profile

Appearance

Meat (adductor muscle) of immaculate, slightly pearlescent whiteness, weighing 30 to 50 g. Sold without coral: fishing, open from October to April, takes place outside the reproductive season (June–September) during which the mollusc develops its genital gland — the coral has therefore already disappeared by the time harvesting resumes, a characteristic that earns the baie de Saint-Brieuc coquille its reputation as the “white scallop”.

Aroma

Clean and delicate marine scent, balanced with iodine without excess, with an oceanic freshness characteristic of cold Breton waters. Peak olfactory quality between December and February.

Taste

Deeply iodised, enhanced by a sweet delicacy typical of cold-water molluscs. The flavour centres solely on the meat, as coral is absent from scallops sold in season. Remarkable length on the palate.

Texture

Remarkably firm meat, muscular yet meltingly tender, denser than farmed scallops.

How it is made

01

Dredge fishing

The trawler tows a dredge, a metal frame that rakes the seabed of the baie de Saint-Brieuc, during outings limited to 60… Read more
The trawler tows a dredge, a metal frame that rakes the seabed of the baie de Saint-Brieuc, during outings limited to 60 minutes, twice a week (Monday and Wednesday); coquilles under 10.5 cm are returned directly to the sea.
02

Selective dive fishing

A more respectful alternative method: divers detach by hand only large adult coquilles, during two-hour outings twice a … Read more
A more respectful alternative method: divers detach by hand only large adult coquilles, during two-hour outings twice a week, preserving the seabed and young individuals.
03

Sorting and landing

Every vessel is strictly required to present all of its catch at the fish auction for weighing and recording, in one of … Read more
Every vessel is strictly required to present all of its catch at the fish auction for weighing and recording, in one of the ports of the bed (Erquy, Loguivy-de-la-mer, Saint-Quay-Portrieux).
04

Traceability

Each bag of coquilles carries a health or identification label, a condition for health approval from the Labocea laborat… Read more
Each bag of coquilles carries a health or identification label, a condition for health approval from the Labocea laboratory. This traceability is a requirement of the PGI specifications.

Tasting & pairings

Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

Raw on a bed of crushed ice — The coquille is opened at the very last moment, served well chilled, with a dash of fresh lemon or sea water. No heavy seasoning: only the crystalline flavour of the mollusc takes precedence.

Quickly pan-seared over high heat — Remove the meat — sold without coral in this season —, pat it dry thoroughly, and sear it for a maximum of 2 to 3 minutes per side in foaming fresh butter over brisk heat. Deglaze with a splash of Breton white wine (Muscadet) or cider, add a finely chopped shallot and a knob of butter. Serve piping hot. Brief cooking preserves tenderness; prolonged cooking makes the mollusc rubbery.

Wine pairings: dry mineral white (Muscadet, Albariño, Picpoul-de-Pinet), off-dry Riesling, Brut Champagne, or dry Breton cider — a return to regional roots.

Labels & certifications

PGI (IGP)

Area covered: Baie de Saint-Brieuc — fishing communes: Erquy, Loguivy-Plougras, Paimpol, Pléneuf-Val-André, Ploubazlanec, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Cast-le-Guildo, Saint-Quay-Portrieux; mandatory landing at fish auctions (Erquy, Loguivy-de-la-mer, Saint-Quay-Portrieux)

Key requirements: Dredge or dive fishing, minimum size, traceability at official fish auctions, strictly delimited area (8 communes)

Good to know

  • MSC (2022) — Sustainable fishing, scientific stock management, environmental monitoring, regular audits

The people of the terroir

Guarantor body — the producers' association, syndicate or trade body that upholds the appellation Guarantor Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Cobrénord — Organisation de Producteurs

Co-operative public limited company (Producer Organisation)

Producer Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Criée de Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Fish auction

Producer Erquy

Criée d'Erquy

Fish auction

Producer Ploubazlanec

Armement Vafian

Fishery

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Guarantor body — the producers' association, syndicate or trade body that upholds the appellation Guarantor Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Cobrénord — Organisation de Producteurs

Co-operative public limited company (Producer Organisation)

Cobrénord is the defence and management organisation for the PGI (IGP) Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor, specifically designated as such in the product sheet at the INAO. Recognised as a Producer Organisation since 1 January 1996, across an area covering Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes-d'Armor and the port of Roscoff, the organisation arose from the merger of two older co-operatives: PROMALO, founded in Saint-Malo in 1977, and COOPARMOR, established in Saint-Quay-Portrieux in 1988. Its headquarters are situated on the harbour platform of Saint-Quay-Portrieux, with an accounts department based in Saint-Malo.

The organisation brings together around 210 member vessels along the northern coast of Bretagne, between Cancale and Brest, divided between small-scale inshore, coastal, and deep-sea fishing; most practise several complementary activities, including dredge fishing for coquille Saint-Jacques from October to May, which represents the largest share of the member fleet's turnover (38%). As a Producer Organisation, Cobrénord manages access to the resource — issuing fishing licences and allocating quotas — as well as the marketing of its members' catches; governance rests on a Board of Directors elected by the members according to the co-operative principle of 'one man, one vote'.

AddressTerre-Plein du Port, 22410 Saint-Quay-Portrieux, France
Phone02 96 70 81 04
Emailcontact@cobrenord.com
Websitecobrenord.com
Call Directions
Producer Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Criée de Saint-Quay-Portrieux

Fish auction

The Saint-Quay-Portrieux fish auction is described by the tourist office as a fish auction hall where fishers and fish wholesalers meet in the early morning: the last boats land their overnight catch, sorted by size and quality (hake, skate, mackerel, sole, cuttlefish, among others), before the auction begins around 6:30. The same person manages the fish auctions of Saint-Quay-Portrieux and Erquy.

Sales at the fish auction are reserved for professionals, but members of the public can attend during a guided tour organised by the Saint-Quay-Portrieux tourist office, upon booking, for a single rate of €13, from 12 years of age (minimum/maximum of 4 to 15 participants).

AddressTerre Plein du Nouveau Port, 22410 Saint-Quay-Portrieux, France
Phone+33 (0)2 96 70 40 64
Websitesaintquayportrieux.com
Call Directions
Producer Erquy

Criée d'Erquy

Fish auction

The Erquy fish auction sells fish every day except Saturday and Sunday, through computerised sales for coastal boats; it also receives coquilles Saint-Jacques from October to April, with arrivals depending on the tides.

Public visits to the fish auction are organised only during school holidays, by the Grand Site Cap d'Erquy Cap Fréhel, with booking mandatory; for any other information, the source directs enquiries to the CCI des Côtes-d'Armor.

Address6212 Rue du Port, 22430 Erquy, France
Websitecapderquy-valandre.com
Directions
Producer Ploubazlanec

Armement Vafian

Fishery

The Mangeons Local en Bretagne directory presents Armement Vafian as an artisan fishing vessel nearly ten metres long, based in Ploubazlanec near Paimpol, crewed by three people: Anthony, the skipper, Camille, deckhand and the skipper's partner in charge of sales and deliveries, and Damien, deckhand. The crew fishes according to the seasons: spider crabs from March/April to late August, warty venus clams from September to May, and Saint-Brieuc Bay scallops from October to March/April.

Spider crabs are caught with nets, while warty venus clams and scallops are dredged; the shellfish are purged of sand and rinsed before being sold the day after the catch. Available by order only, products can be collected at the port, at pre-arranged meetings in Paimpol, or via local delivery, packaged in reusable, deposit-return bags and punnets to minimise plastic. The directory also notes that no GMOs, plant protection products, or antibiotics are used.

The association Pleine Mer, which monitors local fishing in Paimpol, identifies a regular direct sale around 17:30 at 16 rue Pierre Mendes France, in the zone de Guerlande in Paimpol: there, depending on the day's catch, the crew offers spider crabs, lobsters, brown crabs, and various fish, alongside scallops and warty venus clams in season.

Phone0604536098
Emailarmementvafian@yahoo.com
FacebookFacebook page
Call Directions

Sources & references