France in Focus

Abadèche rouge – type of sea bass
Abusseau – type of sea smelt
Aigle de mer – skate
Aiglefin/ Lieu – Haddock (if smoked) – Haddock
Aiguillat – Spur-dog
Aiguillat tacheté – Spur dog
Aiguille – Garfish
Aiguille de mer – Needlefish
Aiguille de mer – Saury
Aiguille de mer – Skipper
Ailes de Raie – Skate wings
Allache – (Sardine)
Alose – Allis shad
Alose – Shad
Alose feinte – Twaite shad
Alose finte – Twaite shad
Amande de mer – Dog-cockle
Amandes de Mer – Dog Cockle (type of Clam)
Anchois – Anchovies
Ange de mer – Angel fish
Ange de mer – Angel shark
Ange de mer – Monkfish
Anguille – Common eel
Anguille – Eel
Araignee de mer – Spider crab
Araignée – Spider crab
Arche de Noé – Noah’s Ark
Argentine – Argentine
Argentine – Silver smelt
Badèche – (Grouper)
Balaou – Saury
Balaou – Skipper
Baleine – Whale
Baliste – Trigger fish
Balou – Needlefish
Balou – Saury
Balou – Skipper
Bar – Bass
Bar – Sea bass
Bar or Loup de mer – Bass / Sea Bass
Bar tacheté – (bass)
Barbue – Brill
Baudroie – Angler fish
Baveuse – Blenny
Bernique – Limpet
Beryx – Red bream
Bigorneau – Periwinkle
Bigorneau – Top shell
Bigorneau – Winkle
Boeuf – Star-gazer
Bogaravelle – Blue-spotted bream
Bogue – Bogue
Bonite à dos rayé – Atlantic bonito
Bonite à dos rayé – Bonito
Bonité à ventre rayé – Oceanic bonito
Bonité à ventre rayé – Skipjack
Brochet – Pike
Brochet de la Mer – Barracuda
Brocheton – Young Pike
Brosme – Cusk
Brosme – Torsk
Brosme – Tusk
Brème de mer – Ray’s bream
Bucarde – Cockle
Buccin – Waved whelk
Buccin – Whelk
Bulots – Whelks
Cabillaud – Cod
Calamars – Squid
Calmar – Flying squid
Capelan – Poor cod
Caramote – (Prawn)
Cardine – Megrim
Cardine – Sail-fluke
Cardine – Whiff
Carrelet – Plaice
Cernier – Stone bass
Cernier – Wreckfish
Chapeau chinois – Limpet
Chinchard – Horse mackerel
Chinchard – Scad
Cicerelle – Sand-eel
Clovisse – (shellfish)
Congre – Conger eel
Coque – Cockle
Coquille Saint-Jacques – Pilgrim scallop
Coquilles St. Jacques – Scallops
Corb – (Meagre)
Coriphène – Dolphin fish
Cornet – Horn shell
Couteau – Razor shell
Couteaux – Razor fish
Crabe enragé – Green crab
Crabe enragé – Shore crab
Crabe vert – Green crab
Crabe vert – Shore crab
Crevette gris – Brown shrimp
Crevette gris – Shrimp
Crevette grises – small Shrimp (brown)
Crevette nordique – Deep-water prawn
Crevette nordique – Northern prawn
Crevette rose – Common prawn
Crevette rose du large – (Prawn)
Crevette rouge – (Prawn)
Crevettes (roses) – Shrimps – common prawn
Crevisse – crayfish
Crustacés – Shellfish
Crénilabre – Corkwing
Crénilabre – Wrasse
Dail – Piddock
Darnes de poisson- Fish steak
Datte de mer – Date-shell
Daurade – Gilt-head bream
Daurade – Sea Bream
Denté – Dentex
Dorade commune – Red Bream
Dorade grise – Black Bream
Dorade rouge – Red bream
Dormeur – Edible crab
Eglefin – Haddock
Eledone – Curled octopus
Emissole – Smooth hound
Encornet – Squid
Eperlan – Rainbow smelt
Eperlan – Smelt
Eperlan – Sparling
Eriphie – (crab)
Espadon – Swordfish
Esprot – Sprat
Esturgeon – Sturgeon
Etrilles (small crabs with flat legs) – Velvet swimming crab
Fausse limande – Scaldfish
Fausse sole – American plaice
Fausse sole – Long rough dab
Fausse sole – Sand dab
Fiatole – Pomfret
Flet – Flounder
Flétan – Halibut
Friture – Whitebait
Galinette – Tub gurnard
Galinette – Tub-fish
Gambas – King Prawn
Germon – Albacore
Germon – Longfin tunny
Ghialisteri achiváda – Smooth venus
Girelle – Rainbow wrasse
Giutare – Guitar fish
Gobie – Goby
Grande cigale – Flat lobster
Grande roussette – Huss
Grande roussette – Large-spotted dogfish
Grande roussette – Nurse hound
Grande vive – Greater weever
Griset – Black bream
Grondin – Red gurnard
Grondin galinette – Tub gurnard
Grondin galinette – Tub-fish
Grondin gris – Grey gurnard
Grondin imbriago – Streaked gurnard
Gronin lyre – Piper
ros denté rosé – (Bream)
Grosses Crevette / Crevettes Royale – large Prawns
Hareng – Herring
Haricot de mer – Wedge shell
Homard – Lobster
Homard – Lobster
Huître – Oyster
Jambonneau – Fan mussel
Julienne – Common linge
Julienne – Ling (type of Cod)
Labre – Ballan wrasse
Labre – Wrasse
Labre vert – (Wrasse)
Lamie – Mackerel shark
Lamie – Porbeagle shark
Lamproie – Sea Lamprey
Lamproie marine – Sea lamprey
Langouste – Spiny lobster
Langoustine – Dublin Bay prawn
Langoustine – Langoustine (Dublin Bay Prawns)
Latour – Mackerel shark
Latour – Porbeagle shark
Liche – (?)
Lieu jaune – Pollack
Lieu noir – Coalfish
Lieu noir – Coley
Lieu Noir – Pollock
Lieu noir – Saithe
Limande – Dab – member of the plaice family
Limande sole – Lemon sole
Lingue – Common linge
Lingue – Ling
Lingue – Mediterranean ling
Lingue – Spanish ling
Loquette – Cusk
Loquette – Eel-pout
Loquette – Ocean pout
Loquette – Torsk
Loquette – Tusk
Lotte – Monkfish
Loup de mer – Bass
Loup de mer – Sea bass
Lézard – Lizard fish
Maigre – Meagre
Malarmat – Armed gurnard
Maquereau – Atlantic mackerel
Maquereau espagnol – Chub mackerel
Marbré – Striped bream
Melva – Frigate mackerel
Mendole commune – Picarel
Merlan – Whiting
Merle – (Wrasse)
Merlu – Hake
Merluche – Hake
Mérou – Grouper
Mérou blanc – (Grouper)
Mérou – (Grouper)
Morue – Cod
Morue – Salted Cod (fish when fresh is Cabillaud )
Mostelle – Forkbeard
Mostelle – Three-bearded rockling
Mostelle de roche – Forkbeard
Mostelle de roche – Greater forkbeard
Motelle à trois barbillons – Rockling
Motelle à trois barbillons – Three-bearded rockling
Moule – Mussel
Muge – Grey mullet
Mulet – Grey mullet
Mulet doré – Golden grey mullet
Mulet porc – Thin-lipped grey mullet
Murène – Moray eel
Mye – Long-neck
Mye – Soft-shelled Clam
Mye – Steamer
Nounat – Pellucid sole
Nounat – Transparent goby
Oblade – Saddled bream
Olive – Wedge shell
Ombrine – (Meagre)
Ormeau – Abalone
Ormeau – Ormer
Orphie – Garfish
Oursin – Sea urchin
Pageot blanc – Bronze bream
Pageot blanc – Spanish bream
Pageot rouge – Pandora
Pagre commun – Couch’s sea bream
Pagre commun – Sea bream
Pagre à points bleus – Sea bream
Palomine – Derbio
Palomine – Pompano
Palomète – (Bonito)
Palourde – Carpet-shell
Palourdes – Clams
Patelle – Limpet
Pélamide – Bonito
Perche – Perch
Petite rascasse – (Rascasse)
Petite roussette – Dogfish
Petite roussette – Lesser-spotted dogfish
Petite roussette – Rough hound
Picarel – Picarel
Pieuvre – Octopus
Pissi – ?
Plie – Plaice
Pocheteau – Skate
Poisson lune – Moonfish
Poisson lune – Opah
Poisson pilote – Pilot fish
Poisson volant – Flying fish
Portugaise – Portugese oyster
Pouce-pied – Goose-necked barnacle
Poulpe – Octopus
Poutassou – Blue whiting
Praire – Warty Venus
Prêtre – Atherine
Prêtre – Sand-smelt
Raie blanche – White skate
Raie bouclé – Thornback ray
Raie douce – Homelyn ray
Raie douce – Spotted ray
Raie miroir – (Ray)
Rascasse de fond – Blue-mouth
Rascasse du nord – Blue-mouth
Rascasse noire – (Rascasse)
Rascasse rouge – Scorpion fish
Rat – Star-gazer
Requin – Shark
Requin marteau – Hammerhead
Risso – Atherine
Risso – Sand-smelt
Rocher épineux – (Murex)
Rouget barbet – Red mullet
Rouget de roche – Red mullet
Roussette – Dog Fish
Sabre – Scabbard fish
Saint-Pierre – Dory
Saint-Pierre – John Dory
Sandre – Zander
Sar – (Bream)
Sar commun – (Bream)
Sar doré – Two-banded bream
Sar royal – (Bream)
Sar tambour – Sheepshead bream
Sardine – Pilchard (adult)
Sardine – Sardine (small)
Saumon – Salmon
Saupe – Salema
Saurel – Horse mackerel
Saurel – Scad
Seiche – Cuttlefish
Sébaste chèvre – Blue-mouth
Sépiole – Little cuttlfish
Sépiole – Amberjack
Serran – Comber
Serran écriture – (Grouper)
Siouclet – Sand-smelt
Six-yeux – Abalone
Six-yeux – Ear-shell
Six-yeux – Ormer
Sole – Dover sole
Sole – Sole
Sole de Klein – (Sole)
Sole d’Ecosse – American plaice
Sole d’Ecosse – Long rough dab
Sole d’Ecosse – Sand dab
Sole limande – Lemon sole
Sole ocellée – (Sole)
Sole pelouse – French sole
Sole pelouse – Sand sole
Sole pôle – French sole
Sole pôle – Sand sole
Sole tachetée – (Sole)
Sole à pectorale ocellée – French sole
Sole à pectorale ocellée – Lascar
Sparaillon – Annular bream
Sprat – Sprat
Squille – Mantis crab
Tassergal – Bluefish
Taupe – Mackerel shark
Taupe – Porbeagle shark
Thon – Tuna
Thon rouge – Bluefin tuna
Thon rouge – Tunny
Thonine – Little tunny
Tombe – Gunarde (fish)
Tourteau – Edible crab
Tourteaux or Dormeur – Brown Crab
Truite – Trout (as a general term)
Truite Arc-en-Ciel – "Rainbow trout
Truite Fario – Brown trout
Truite de mer – Brown trout
Truite de mer – Salmon trout
Truite de mer – Sea trout
Turbot – Turbot
Vanneau – Queen scallop
Vieille – Ballan wrasse
Vieille – Wrasse
Vieille coquette – Cuckoo wrasse
Violon – Guitar fish
Vive araignée – (Weever)
Vive rayée – (Weever)

Apologies to those who posted on the previous topic - but elsie has merged my list with one of hers and now we have the ultimate fish list.

Thank you elsie

Incredible list there. I was looking for the one we buy in Lidl. Colin. Any idea? I think it comes from Alaska.

Hotrodder wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 6:27 pm Incredible list there. I was looking for the one we buy in Lidl. Colin. Any idea? I think it comes from Alaska.

I think that's pollock. (no I'm not being rude, honestly.)

I think Coley and Pollack are different but closely related species. Both members of the cod family.
Fish is very difficult because even within a country the same fish can be given different names. Pilchard and Sardine being the most obvious example in English but I have come across examples in German and at least confusion in French if not absolute proof of examples

Just to explain, about fifteen years ago I constructed a list of fish names with the various common names from Alan Davidson's Mediterranean seafood, Alan Davidson's North Atlantic seafood and Jenny Baker's Simply Fish (and possibly some other books)?
It was as a result of a restaurant meal with visitors when we were unable to identify a fish on the menu. I used to take it with me when out dining. But now I just do a search on my phone, usually to the Wikipedia reference.

The French Wikipedia article on Colin gives some idea of the complexity of the use of the same common name for fish with different taxonomic names https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_(poisson)

From the English entry for Pollock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollock#As_food
In 2009, UK supermarket Sainsbury's briefly renamed Atlantic pollock "colin" in a bid to boost ecofriendly sales of the fish as an alternative to cod. Sainsbury's, which said the new name was derived from the French for cooked pollock (colin), launched the product under the banner "Colin and chips can save British cod." (which was referenced from https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ish-stocks)

Which ones have the plastic beads in them? probably all of them unfortunately.

The one I try to avoid is Pangasi, supposed to be pretty toxic, I see Asda have renamed it River Cobbler, and given it a smoking. Love a bit of smoked Haddock, but have tried it from the wet fish counter in SuperU, it was full of salt and inedible for me, tried soaking it for 24 hrs, still the same so avoid it now.

That is an amazing list !!! I haven't heard of about 75% of those on the list.

I've copied and saved the list. Thank you !

hughnique wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:35 pm The one I try to avoid is Pangasi, supposed to be pretty toxic, I see Asda have renamed it River Cobbler, and given it a smoking. Love a bit of smoked Haddock, but have tried it from the wet fish counter in SuperU, it was full of salt and inedible for me, tried soaking it for 24 hrs, still the same so avoid it now.

The smoked haddock from Carrefour is OK. It's in the chilled food section together with smoked salmon, mackerel, herring, etc.

Kippers and bloaters (bouffis) are in the fresh/wet fish section.