By Sylvaine Travadon
Editor’s Note: We have rekindled connections with our sister city Paimpol, France. Sylvaine is a local resident journalist of Paimpol and her bio is below.
Paimpol is located in Northern Brittany, at the Western end of the bay of Saint-Brieuc. Though there is no mining industry around, the region is well known for its white gold. Its seabed conceals a great treasure for French gourmets, also called the queen of the bay: the scallops.
A Success Story
In winter, in France, there’s no way to escape; scallops are everywhere. On restaurant menus, on cooking websites and magazines, on fish stalls in markets… They are a must have dish for celebration meals. A real white gold rush takes place as of November to garnish the holiday season tables. Main reasons for this success story: its refined taste combined with quite easy recipes (see box).
Scallop fishing represents around 600 dedicated boats in France and employs 2 400 fishermen. Half of the production comes from Brittany, almost exclusively from Saint-Brieuc Bay. It serves as a strong symbol for the region, along with artichoke and cauliflower. It’s associated with gastronomy, delicate dishes and French art de vivre. It inspired a full line of silver cutlery to the luxury goldsmith company Christofle.
An endangered species
Prospects haven’t been always promising for this seafood. Years of excess fishing have endangered the species. This had led the French authorities to regulate and restrict fishing. Ifremer, a French scientific body dedicated to ocean knowledge and protection, is carefully monitoring the livestock.
Fishing is allowed in France only from October to May, outside the reproduction period. Moreover, it’s restricted to very few hours a week. Fishermen operate under strict air surveillance. Also, only shells over 10 cm can be fished. This aims to let the scallop’s livestock regenerate itself.
As of 2021, the scallops have faced a new danger. A large wind offshore farm of 62 turbines has been built in the bay, raising strong opposition from the local fishermen. They feared that the energy facility would threaten both the livestock and the fishing conditions. Fierce negotiations have followed, leading to strong technical adaptations of the initial project. The windfarm finally started operations in 2024.
From shortage to abundance
All protection measures have proved successful so far. According to Ifremer, scallops have broken a new record in Saint-Brieuc Bay in 2024, reaching the highest biomass level in 63 years. Livestock is 5 five times more abundant now than it used to be. It has moved from shortage to abundance.
A good sign for all gourmets, as it allows prices to remain reasonable, even during end-of-year celebrations.
Recipe
Basic recipe is to cut scallops into 2 or 3 slices and to fry them briefly in a pan on each side with parsley and salted butter (or olive butter). They can be served with rice, leek fondue, pumpkin puree or chicory. They can also be marinated in any sauce (soybean sauce for example) before frying. In Brittany, they’re also served in pancakes with leek fondue. They can also be eaten raw, as tartar or carpaccio.
Buckwheat pancake with scallops and leek, from the Pennty creperie in Paimpol. It’s called “La Paimpolaise” on the restaurant menu.
Etymology
In French, they are called Coquille Saint-Jacques, as a reference to the pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, who wore them as a good luck charm. In Beauport Abbey, which is one departure point for the pilgrimage to Santiago, you’ll find a scallops sculpture to mark kilometer 0.
Km 0 of the pilgrimage path from Paimpol path to Santiago de Compostela
Bay of Saint-Brieuc, representation of the windfarm and scallops livestock location.
Editor’s Note:
If you’re craving a delicious scallop dish, head over to The Pavilion Grill in Vermilion, where you can indulge in their Seared Scallops special for just $28. This dish features three large, perfectly seared scallops paired with house-made peppered sweet potato gnocchi, a flavorful red pepper flake sweet potato cream sauce, and seasoned sautéed shiitake mushrooms, all garnished with fresh scallions.
The Pavilion Grill is open seven days a week, serving breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to midnight. Whether you’re dining in, ordering carryout, or using delivery options like DoorDash, this special is sure to delight. Visit them at 5542 Liberty Avenue, Vermilion, or give them a call at 440-963-0157 for more information.
For online orders, check out their website at www.thepaviliongrill.com.
Meet Sylvaine Travadon: I’m 56 years old. I was born and grew up in Northern Brittany. I studied business administration near Paris and worked for 30 years in the energy industry, first in Burgundy and then in Paris. My family stayed in Brittany, and together with my partner, we bought a holiday house in Paimpol in 2022. I now spend most of my free time over there and am happy to retrieve my roots. In 2023, I left my company and went back to school to become a journalist. I’m now looking for a job in that new area.
My hobbies include ice skating, skiing, swimming (in the sea), hiking, looking for mushroom, live shows and visiting museums. I also manage logistics and administration for my son who is a professional chess player.
