Fish and seafood are one of the joys of eating in Brittany.

Brittany has more important fishing ports than any other part of France and, after Boulogne, the biggest. The catch is varied enough to keep the serious gourmet enthralled for weeks. Two great attractions, though they don't come cheap, are lobster (homard) and clams (palourdes), which are particularly enjoyable stuffed. Also don't forget that Brittany more or less invented another great contribution to our menus – sardines in oil.

One dish you shouldn't miss is cotriade, similar to the better-known bouillabaisse of the south. It is a fisherman's soup, originally made by them from their share of the catch. Variety is the norm here, with the best results achieved from a careful balance of oily and white fish. It always includes potato and is often finished off with cream. The inclusion of mussels is a relatively new, but very welcome, enhancement. Avoid expensive versions of cotriade which contain lobster or langoustine – they are not the genuine article.

It might be a surprise to the unwary, but in all but the poshest restaurants, shellfish is normally served still in the shell, so you will be expected (with the help of a range of strange implements) to peel your own prawns, crack your own crab and winkle out your whelks. If you aren't sure how to proceed, then ask for help and a demonstration will be given. Oysters and clams are often served raw, or cru.

If you really want a seafood treat, then order a plateau de fruits de mer, or seafood platter. These dishes tend to be enormous and can be quite expensive, but are a real treat for the gourmet. They are often served merely as a starter, along with the usual set of wicked-looking surgical instruments, which inevitably means a long wait for your fellow-diners if they have ordered something more modest!

Oysters are generally served raw, either with lemon juice squeezed over them or with a vinegar sauce with chopped shallots. Mussels are served à la marinière, which means with a light white wine sauce with onions and parsley.Scallops are coquilles St-Jacques, while pétoncles are baby scallops, sometimes called queen scallops.

Many types of crab are popular in Brittany. You may be offered spider crabs, or araignées, common crabs, or tourteaux, and velvet crabs, known as crabes cerises.