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Pays de la Loire
After the sardine season, it is the prawn that takes over the port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: a wild crustacean caught in pots since the 1960s, which the Rose de Saint-Gilles joined in 2026 in the ranks of the Sites Remarquables du Goût.
Seafood from Pays de la Loire.
Since the 1960s, the pink prawn has been an integral part of life in the port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and the daily routine of its fishermen, marking the return of pot fishing every autumn. This fishery developed between the 1960s and 1980s, in the wake of the sardine season that ended in late October: even back then, it was not uncommon for boats to return with bountiful catches.
Today, out of the forty or so boats that make up the local fleet, only six are fitted out for prawn fishing, providing a year-round livelihood for eleven fishermen. Only two of these six vessels make a living from it almost full-time; the others pursue a versatile range of activities depending on the season — sea bass fishing from mid-April to mid-November, and occasionally glass eels from December to January.
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The Rose de Saint-Gilles is caught at a maximum depth of around 45 metres, an hour's sailing from the port, between Bretignolles-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-de-Monts. This artisanal pot fishing relies on an intimate knowledge of the currents, seabed and fishing grounds along the Vendée coast — a savoir-faire handed down from generation to generation in the port.
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Back in port, the day's catch is landed at the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie fish auction, where eight fish wholesalers operate; the prawns are auctioned there between 04:30 and 05:30. In February 2026, following in the footsteps of the sardine labelled back in 1998, the Rose de Saint-Gilles also earned the "Site Remarquable du Goût" distinction — a new avenue of recognition for the local industry. The distinction is championed by an association chaired by Denise Renaud, and celebrated every November during the Apérose, an event held at the fish auction itself, alongside winemakers from Brem-sur-Mer and salt from the salt marshes of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez.
Taste
Delicate flavour, highlighted by the association behind the distinction: a wild crustacean renowned for "its freshness, its finesse and its delicate flavour".
The prawns are auctioned between 04:30 and 05:30, bought by one of the port's eight active fish wholesalers.
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Purists enjoy it plain, or simply served on a slice of fresh bread with salted butter; it also lends itself to more elaborate dishes — pink prawn and avocado salad, grapefruit segments, or ceviche.
When it comes to cooking, the recipe takes just a few steps: rinse the live prawns in cold water, plunge them into a large pan of boiling salted water, wait for the water to return to the boil, then leave to cook for a few dozen seconds more — less than a minute — before turning off the heat and draining them. They are then served whilst still warm, plain or accompanied by fresh bread and salted butter.
The Rose de Saint-Gilles is not protected by any of the six official quality marks. Since February 2026, it has held the "Site Remarquable du Goût" distinction, awarded by the Fédération nationale des Associations locales des Sites Remarquables du Goût — the same distinction awarded in 1998 to the Sardine de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. It is championed by the association Site Remarquable du Goût – la Rose de Saint-Gilles, chaired by Denise Renaud and based at the town hall of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.
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