Fish and seafood

France is blessed not only with the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and superb fish and seafood, but plenty of freshwater fish as well. You’ll also find a list of useful fish words here.

The fish order that arrived too late

Fish, or the lack of it, was the cause of the first but sadly not the last suicide of a great French chef. In 1660, Louis XIV had allowed the master of Château de Chantilly, the Grand Condé (Prince Louis II de Bourbon-Condé), to return from exile after he had fought for the king of Spain against France.

The Grand Condé hired the great chef François Vatel to run his kitchens, and spent a decade renovating his château, while Vatel established its reputation for fine cuisine. In April 1671, when everything was in order, the Grand Condé decided to go all out and impress Louis XIV and 3000 courtiers from Versailles, inviting them to Chantilly for a three-day fête .