Coquille Saint-Jacques de Normandie

History & Origins

AI-generated illustration

Europe's largest bed

Over 640 kilometres, from the baie de Granville, in Manche, to Le Tréport, at the northern tip of Seine-Maritime, the Normandy coastline accounts for more than two-thirds of French landings of coquille Saint-Jacques (Pecten maximus). The moderate depth, water temperature and abundance of plankton provide particularly favourable conditions for the development of the mollusc. Within this area, the baie de Seine — between the coast of Calvados and the eastern Cotentin — occupies a place apart: its bed, presented as the largest in Europe, alone provides nearly two-thirds of Normandy's production. The scallops are landed in a handful of ports that drive the coastal economy, among them Dieppe in Seine-Maritime, and Port-en-Bessin and Grandcamp-Maisy in Calvados. Fishing there supports nearly half of the region's fishermen.

Two Label Rouge certifications for the same standard of freshness

Official recognition for the Normandy scallop developed in two stages, driven by the Normandie Fraîcheur Mer association (now Normandie Filière Mer), a defence and management body based in Port-en-Bessin. A first Label Rouge, obtained in 2002, distinguishes the whole, fresh shell; a second, in 2009, extended recognition to the meat alone, fresh or frozen — both now brought together under the same approval procedure (LA/11/02) overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité. The specifications guarantee a shell landed and brought to market without delay, full traceability specifying the vessel and catch date, an intact exterior appearance — neither broken nor chipped — and generous meat, delivered with or without coral depending on the season.

Unlike the Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes-d'Armor, caught solely in the baie de Saint-Brieuc under a PGI (IGP), the Normandy scallop does not yet have a PGI: an application for European recognition is currently under examination, spearheaded by the same Normandie Fraîcheur Mer association.

Product characteristics

Sensory profile

Appearance

Convex shell with pronounced radiating ribs, reddish-brown to grey in colour, with a minimum size of 11 cm under Label Rouge. The meat, white and pearlescent, is sold whole or shucked, with or without its orange coral depending on the season.

Aroma

Marine and iodised, fresh.

Taste

Iodised and slightly sweet, more pronounced when the coral is retained.

Texture

Firm and fleshy meat, with the coral lending a creamier melt than the white flesh alone.

How it is made

Dredge fishing

Vessels tow a metal dredge along the seabed that scrapes the sandy beds of the baie de Seine, on outings limited in time… Read more

Vessels tow a metal dredge along the seabed that scrapes the sandy beds of the baie de Seine, on outings limited in time (a few hours per tide), space (rotating open areas, with some left fallow) and quantity (quota per boat), under licence and satellite vessel tracking.

Timetable by fishing zone

The offshore zone, beyond 12 nautical miles, opens first, in early October; the baie de Seine proper, off the coast of C… Read more

The offshore zone, beyond 12 nautical miles, opens first, in early October; the baie de Seine proper, off the coast of Calvados and the eastern Cotentin, opens later, with restricted fishing hours during the first weeks.

Sorting and grading on board

Between dredge hauls, fishermen sort and grade the harvested scallops directly, crate them, and return to the water any … Read more

Between dredge hauls, fishermen sort and grade the harvested scallops directly, crate them, and return to the water any exceeding the trip's quota.

Landing at auction

The vessels land in one of the Normandy ports, such as Dieppe, Port-en-Bessin or Grandcamp-Maisy, where the crates are s… Read more

The vessels land in one of the Normandy ports, such as Dieppe, Port-en-Bessin or Grandcamp-Maisy, where the crates are sold at auction in the fish market.

Shucking for the meat

When the product is sold as meat rather than whole in the shell, shucking takes place quickly after landing, under the s… Read more

When the product is sold as meat rather than whole in the shell, shucking takes place quickly after landing, under the second Label Rouge obtained in 2009.

Tasting & pairings

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With its coral, Coquille Saint-Jacques de Normandie lends itself to simple cooking: a brisk pan-fry in butter, for barely a few minutes, is enough to brown it without drying it out; the coral, more fragile, requires an even shorter cooking time than the meat. It pairs wonderfully with Normandy butters, crème fraîche d'Isigny or a dash of cider deglazed in the pan, and goes well with a dry, mineral white wine or, in the local tradition, a cidre brut de Normandie.

Labels & certifications

Label Rouge « Coquille Saint-Jacques entière et fraîche »

Since: 2002

Area covered: 640 km of the Normandy coast, from the baie de Granville (Manche) to Le Tréport (Seine-Maritime); landing ports cited by the sources: Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), Port-en-Bessin and Grandcamp-Maisy (Calvados); the baie de Seine (Calvados and eastern Cotentin) accounts for nearly two-thirds of Normandy's production

Key requirements: Minimum size of 11 cm, above the regulatory minimum; very swift marketing after catch (48 hours at most); full traceability by vessel and catch date; clean, intact shell; generous meat, with or without coral depending on the season

Label Rouge « Noix de Saint-Jacques fraîches ou surgelées »

Since: 2009

Key requirements: Same freshness, size and traceability requirements as the whole shell, applied to shucked meat, fresh or frozen