Where To Find the Best French Seafood for All the Family To Enjoy

France is legendary for gastronomy because the produce is so good, and because native industry takes such great care over farming and fishing even before its great chefs bring centuries of tradition and innovation to the actual cooking. Yes, the cuisine can be highly sophisticated, with rich sauces and glazes adding flavours that may be too complex for kids. But there's a wonderful simplicity to certain dishes too, and many coastal areas pride themselves in putting the best French seafood on the plate with minimal fuss. Whether you're holidaying on the Normandy coast or the Riviera, each region has specialities drawn from local waters, with recipes for steamed mussels, grilled fillets or hearty, creamy fish soups to help give your children a lifelong appetite for seafood.

If it's a first-time visit to France, and especially if your kids don't have much experience with seafood, you can start prepping them well in advance of the trip. So, let's start with a few tips for managing those initial fishy encounters at the kitchen table, which should prime the palate for family dinners at French beach restaurants.

Chefs, nutritionists and even fishmongers suggest tried and tested ways of introducing children to the flavours and textures of seafood. Here's a quick survey of the main recommendations:
 

• Start mild: Ideally baked or steamed for a first test on younger eaters, mild white fish like cod, pollock, haddock and sole tend to be nice and soft, with a light and slightly sweet taste that usually goes down well.
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• Mix it up: Rather than starting with a full fillet, try shredding or chopping that white fish into pre-approved kid-friendly dishes like pastas or stir-fried noodles. Fish tacos with fruity salsas can also be perfect for this purpose.
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• Coatings and coverings: You can disguise the "fishiness" that some kids find off-putting by offering dips and sauces on the side (mayo and ketchup are reliable favourites), or melting cheese over the top.
  
  
• Little helpers: It's true that many kids simply don't like the look of fish, but some can be convinced to try it if you involve them in the cutting, boning, prepping and cooking.

When feeding toddlers and small children, a bit of extra diligence is required with certain types of fish. It's not a bad idea to consult a doctor first, especially if there are any allergies in the family.
 

• One at a time: To manage the mild risk of allergic reaction, expert advice is to introduce only one type or species in a sitting, and in very small quantities. Shellfish is the most likely to cause problems, so proceed slowly and carefully.
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• Bare bones: Research shows that bones are the single biggest factor in childhood aversion to fish, and it's generally safest to remove them altogether. Chopping a fillet into small pieces will reduce the chance of small bones making it onto the fork. Check for bits of shell, tail, skin or fin too – they can all be choking hazards for kids.
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• Raw realities: Experts say the young immune system is less equipped to handle the bacteria and parasites that cause foodborne illnesses. As these are much more common to raw fish than cooked, sushi and unheated shellfish are better left to teens and adults.

Certain seafoods and freshwater fish are popular all over France, and even inland cities like Paris, Lyon and Toulouse have a constant appetite for the likes of poisson grillé (grilled white fish). Smoked salmon is practically a staple (and a brain-health food), often served as a croissant filling. Fish soups and stews, and especially smooth, creamy bisques, can also be safe and appealing options for kids. But each coastal region has its own fishy specialities that help define the local cuisine and delight the visitor.

Prime fishing territory nested between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the southwest, Brittany favours simple seafood dishes, presented fresh with minimal fuss. Some, though delicious, are not ideal for kids. Plateau de fruits de mer, for example, is a massive mixed platter of raw and cooked shellfish. But other rustic favourites are well worth trying on the little ones:

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• Cotriade: A hearty fish and potato stew, sometimes made with conger eel but a little more appealing to children when based on mackerel or sardine.
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• Moules marinières: Parsley and shallots bring out the flavour of these small, steamed bouchot mussels, best served with bread and salted butter.
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• Canned seafood: While tinned fish in other countries is often cheaply produced, low-quality stuff, sardines and tuna from Breton towns Quiberon and Concarneau are premium-grade.
   

Voted Best Novotel in France in 2022 and 2023, Novotel Saint Brieuc Centre Station occupies a former 19th-century barracks close to the Pink Granite coast. House restaurant L'Amiral serves catch of the day from the nearby ports of Erquy or Saint-Quay-Portrieux.

A grassy terrain as abundant in farms as in fisheries, Normandy often pairs French seafood with its renowned dairy produce. The resulting broths and sauces can be rich and heavy, but in smaller portions they also go over very well with hungry kids. Marmite Dieppoise, for example, mixes mussels and scallops with that world-class local cream and butter. Sole Normande is another winningly simple option, poaching or baking the white fish in cream with parsley, salt and pepper.
 

Stay right on the beach at Novotel Deauville Plage , and combine seasonal fish with sea views from the terrace of our bistronomic restaurant, L'Etage, or fresh sushi selections from the bar.

The French seafood of the Med coast is often flavoured with local olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and saffron, as in the region's famously rich fish stew, bouillabaisse. Milder versions go down well with kids, while the lesser-known bourride is an even heartier stew, made with white fish like cod and thickened with garlicky alioli.

At Novotel Nice Centre Vieux you can enjoy Mediterranean seafood on the palm-fringed garden terrace of the hotel restaurant, right in the heart of the Old Town. Options include a rockfish soup made to a local fisherman's recipe, and the kids menu includes classic fish & chips too.

The Atlantic regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire are great for French seafood, including shellfish like mussels and oysters, but also tasty white fish like sole and seabass. Both of those are often cooked in a shallot butter sauce, while the kid-friendly Bordeaux speciality colin à la Bordelaise cooks hake in breadcrumbs and butter to combine crunchy and creamy textures.
 

Marseille is one of France's great fishing harbours, and Novotel Marseille Vieux-Port commands inspiring views over that waterfront to the sea from house restaurant Magate, where the menu makes sublime use of the local catch.

France's relatively short North Sea shoreline touches on the Belgian border, which helps explain why this is the home of moules-frites, or mussels served with thick chunks of fried potato. Dipping those chips in the tangy mussel broth can be messy but fun, and many kids love the process of forking the fish from the shells too. More adventurous children might try the herring around Boulogne-sur-Mer too, a vital fish to the local nautical culture and often served smoked or marinated.
 

After a swim in the sea, or the saltwater pool, you can enjoy a light meal on the beachfront deck of Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet, or bistronomic cuisine at the hotel's restaurant Maison Mer. The menu draws on the French seafood of the Opal Coast, with selections just for kids too.

Now that you know just how much French seafood will appeal to kids, let's get you all set for that family holiday by the beach!
 

A French holiday is a great opportunity to introduce kids to seafood. Experts recommend starting with mild white fish like cod or sole, removing all bones and avoiding raw fish. Each of France’s coastal regions showcases distinct local specialities ideal for beginners, from Brittany’s moules marinières to the breadcrumbed hake dish colin à la Bordelaise in the Bay of Biscay.