From autumn to the heart of spring, the pearly nut and its orange coral light up the stalls of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. A festive season when the sea meets the belly of Lyon.
When October closes the door on summer, a thrill runs through the aisles of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. The scallop makes its grand return to the crushed ice. Its harvest, regulated from 1 October to 15 May to let the mollusc grow and protect the resource, opens one of the finest seasons of the marine calendar. In the belly of Lyon, the plump, white, almost translucent nut, crowned with its orange coral, becomes one of winter's most coveted treasures.
Behind the stalls, the market's fishmongers keep a watchful eye. Maison Pupier, Chez Antonin, Chez Léon: these houses, proud of their craft, receive the finest shells every morning, often from Normandy, France's leading scallop region, where seven scallops out of ten are caught. From Dieppe to Granville, by way of Port-en-Bessin and the Bay of Seine, the fishermen drag their dredges while respecting strict quotas and minimum sizes. Some even carry a Label Rouge, a guarantee of fine flesh and impeccable freshness.
The scallop has its festive gatherings. In autumn, the Halles regularly host free tastings and the gourmet stop of the "Grande Débarque", the Norman Fish Truck that celebrates the fishermen and their trade in the heart of the market. A chance to taste, seared on the plancha or barely cooked, a nut of incomparable sweetness.
At the stall, the gesture becomes precious: choosing a shell that is tightly closed, heavy, alive. Pan-fried in a moment in beurre noisette, served as carpaccio or coated in a lemony cream, the scallop graces every festive table. At Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, capital of gastronomy, it reminds us every winter that excellence is gathered with the seasons.