Seafood wholesalers in Lyon:how to source fresh seafood without a dedicated wholesale market

01

Why is there no wholesale fresh seafood market in Lyon?

The former Lyon marché-gare, opened in 1961, gave way in January 2009 to the Lyon-Corbas wholesale market, built within the conurbation's new agri-food hub. It is a private wholesale market, devoted to other fresh products. Its directory lists no wholesaler of fish, shellfish or crustaceans: the conurbation's seafood wholesalers work outside its premises and deliver to their customers.

The market remains useful to restaurateurs for the rest of their purchases, not for fresh seafood.

02

Three ways to source fresh seafood in Lyon

1. A Lyon wholesaler who delivers. This is the simplest route for a restaurant. They buy from several fish merchants and from imports, prepare and deliver, generally the day after the order, depending on the wholesaler and the carrier. You gain regularity and a single contact; they choose the range.
2. A port fish merchant, direct. They buy at the fish auction (criée), prepare and ship by refrigerated carrier. Lyon is about 300 km by road from the Languedoc fish auctions, which makes direct supply from the Mediterranean realistic; from the Atlantic and Brittany, further away, the lead time depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.
3. A full-service Rungis wholesaler. Some ship to the regions: useful for species or origins not found locally, at the cost of extra transport.

03

Where does the fish delivered to Lyon come from?

Species: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024 (Rungis: Semmaris 2023 annual report). Distances: editorial team's calculation, rounded. Delivery: generally the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.

Two readings of this table. The Mediterranean is the nearest coast, but its fish auctions are small: from 1,200 to 2,300 tonnes sold in 2024 for each, when Boulogne-sur-Mer sells 18,000. The Atlantic and the Channel bring volume and diversity, from further away.

04

Which days to order, and until what time?

• From Tuesday to Saturday, the Rungis seafood hall is open; what is sold at auction one day is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
• On Monday, the Rungis seafood hall is closed: ask your wholesaler whether they deliver that day.
• The order cut-off time varies from one supplier to another. For a direct shipment from a port, it depends on the time of the auction sale: ask the fish merchant.

05

What is local or in season in Lyon?

Lyon has no port, but the Mediterranean is about 300 km away by road. Its fish auctions mainly sell octopus, gilthead sea bream, monkfish, hake, red mullet and, under quota, Atlantic bluefin tuna; Sète is one of the few fish auctions to sell deep-water rose shrimp, Port-la-Nouvelle anchovy. These species lend themselves well to direct supply from Languedoc.

Freshwater fish, for their part, do not go through the fish auctions. For Dover sole, langoustine or king scallop, you have to look to the Atlantic and the Channel: king scallop fishing is closed from 15 May to 30 September, and each scallop bed has its own opening dates. The seasonality calendar gives the months of high landings.

06

How to compare several suppliers in Lyon?

Without a market where all offers can be seen in one place, the comparison is done on paper, or rather on the price lists each supplier sends. A few rules:

The price list guide explains how to read and line up these lists; the food cost guide shows how to go from the price per kilo bought to the price per usable kilo.