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Salade de poulpe is a traditional octopus salad originating from Languedoc. The salad is usually made with a combination of tenderized octopus, potatoes, white wine, onions, fennel, capers, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice.
The octopus is cut into pieces, boiled in a mixture of oil, wine, salt, and water until tender, and then drained. The potatoes are boiled, skinned, sliced, and mixed with the octopus. The onions, fennel, and capers are placed on top and the salad is then dressed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
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Moules marinière à la crème is a variation on the famous dish called moules marinière. This variation, popular in northern France, is made with mussels, garlic, crème fraîche, parsley, white wine, butter, shallots, and aromatic herbs such as thyme and bay leaves.
The mussels are steamed in a covered pot on a combination of butter-sautéed garlic and shallots, with wine and a bit of water. Once the mussels open, the cream and chopped parsley are added to the pot, which is removed from the heat, and the dish is then served, ideally with crusty bread on the side for mopping up all the flavorful juices.
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This thick, creamy, and rich puréed soup traditionally includes ingredients such as cream, seafood, cognac or wine, and a combination of spices. The origin of its name is still debated – some claim that the word refers to a soup that is cooked twice (bis cuits), since the traditional way of making the soup involves first roasting the shellfish and then simmering them again in the flavorful broth.
Another theory suggests it is related to the Bay of Biscay, whose cuisine typically uses spicy ingredients similar to those used in bisque. Bisque was first mentioned as a shellfish soup in the 17th century, leading food historians to suggest that it was originally a fisherman’s dish that was designed to get the most flavor out of whatever ingredients were available.
VARIATIONS OF Bisque
MOST ICONIC Bisque
Plateau de fruits de mer, which translates to a plate of fruits of the sea, is a traditional dish that consists of various kinds of seafood served on a platter, usually over crushed ice. Typical seafood used in this dish includes a variety of shellfish such as shrimps, mussels, lobsters, crabs, clams, and oysters that can either be cooked or raw.
Traditionally, the seafood is consumed chilled, and it is typically placed on a large serving platter that is covered with crushed ice and (optionally) seaweed to keep the food’s temperature low. Lemon wedges and various sauces, such as mignonette sauce, mustard sauce, and cocktail sauce usually accompany this seafood platter.
MOST ICONIC Plateau de fruits de mer
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This classic French seafood dish is prepared with sole fillets that are lightly breaded in plain flour and pan-fried in butter. When the fish is ready, lemon juice is added to the pan and cooked shortly until all of the flavors are combined. The fish is typically seasoned with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Even though fillets are usually employed in the dish, some like to use the whole fish, which is then traditionally filleted tableside in front of the guests. In traditional cuisine, the name meunière refers to the technique of cooking ingredients in brown butter and lemon juice or lightly coating the ingredients in flour before frying.
MOST ICONIC Sole meunière
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Moules à la marinière is a classic French dish that consists of mussels cooked in cider or wine-based sauces. The dish is typically made with shallots, garlic, and herbs such as parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, which are sweated in some butter before being combined with white wine or cider.
Fresh mussels are then added to the mixture and cooked until they open up. The dish is usually enhanced with freshly minced parsley, lemon juice and (optionally) mayonnaise or crème fraiche. Simple and flavorful, this mussel dish is typically enjoyed warm with slices of crusty bread and a glass of French wine on the side.
VARIATIONS OF Moules à la marinière
There are a number of ways one can prepare shrimp canapés. Toast, cucumber slices, or pumpernickel bread are often coated with either a shrimp paste or a chopped shrimp spread. There is also a method where the base of the canapés is first coated with cream cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise, followed by placing a whole precooked shrimp on top with either cucumber or avocado slices in between.
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Saumon à l'oseille is a French dish consisting of a salmon fillet with sorrel in a creamy fish sauce. It's made with salmon, dry white wine, fish stock, crème fraîche, sorrel leaves, lemon, butter, shallots, and a bit of Marsala.
The shallots are sautéed in butter, then deglazed with Marsala. The fish stock and white wine are added to the sauce along with the cream. The salmon is fried, then combined with the sauce, which is enriched with a drizzle of lemon juice and mixed with sorrel.
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Moules à la crème Normande is a traditional mussel dish originating from Normandy. It's made with mussels in a creamy sauce consisting of butter, cream, onions, garlic, shallots, cider, parsley, salt, and pepper. The onions, shallots, and parsley are sautéed in butter, then mixed with the washed mussels.
The combination is covered with cider and seasoned with pepper, then cooked until the mussels open. They're then removed, and the sauce is reduced and mixed with the cream. Finally, the mussels are mixed with the sauce, and the dish is then usually served with accompaniments such as fries or bread for mopping up the juices.
This traditional Provençal fish soup (and stew) originated in the 18th century when it was first concocted by Marseillaise fishermen, who would prepare it using the leftovers from their daily catch, making the best of what they had in their nets.
Over time, bouillabaisse evolved into one of the most luxurious seafood dishes in the world: it is found in every upscale restaurant in the lively seaport city of Marseille where it can cost up to €200 for a meal for two. Anything below €50 is considered an ordinary fish soup—a good rule of thumb for those who want to taste the real thing.
MOST ICONIC Bouillabaisse
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 46 French Seafood Dishes” list until March 21, 2025, 1,199 ratings were recorded, of which 953 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.