I didn’t grow up eating seafood. My family ate fish sticks once in a while and the occasional shrimp cocktail, but that was about it.

Then I married someone who loves seafood, and now we live part of the year in France, where the seafood is amazing and I eat a lot of it. At first I found French menus confusing because there are so many different words for seafood. Sometimes I didn’t know if I was reading about a fish or a fowl!

Now I can navigate the menus, so let me share what I’ve learned.

The French distinguish between poisson (fish) and fruits de mer (seafood, like shrimp and crabs), so I’ve written two different articles. One article is about fish and the other about seafood. In each, I list 10 that you are likely to run across in France. Most will be familiar, but if there is something new to you, consider trying it—you may find it delicious!

Read all about fish in France Today!

Read all about seafood in Frenchly!