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Seafood wholesalers

Seafood wholesalers in Nice:MIN d'Azur, local fishing and the Languedoc fish auctions

Fresh seafood in Nice: no fish auction in the region, two seafood companies at the MIN d'Azur, small-scale local fishing. Where fish comes from, how to get it.

Updated 8 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Fish auctions in the LiveCriée directory: Boulogne-sur-Mer, Port-en-Bessin, Saint-Malo, Le Guilvinec, Concarneau, Lorient, Les Sables-d'Olonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Sète, Le Grau-du-Roi, Dieppe, Cherbourg, Granville, Erquy, Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Roscoff, La Rochelle, BrestBoulogne-sur-MerPort-en-BessinSaint-MaloLe GuilvinecConcarneauLorientLes Sables-d'OlonneSaint-Jean-de-LuzSèteLe Grau-du-RoiDieppeCherbourgGranvilleErquySaint-Quay-PortrieuxRoscoffLa RochelleBrest
Fish auctions in the LiveCriée directoryport page online
Contents
  1. The MIN d'Azur: what place for fish?
  2. How to source fresh seafood in Nice?
  3. Where does the fish delivered to Nice come from?
  4. Which days and at what time to order?
  5. What is local or in season in Nice?
  6. How to compare several suppliers in Nice?
  7. Frequently asked questions

In Nice, there is neither a fish auction (criée) nor a seafood hall: the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has had no fish auction since 2010, and the directory of the Nice MIN (wholesale market) classes only two companies under seafood products. Restaurants and fishmongers in Nice source from wholesalers who deliver, from fish merchants (mareyeurs) in Marseille and Languedoc and from local fishermen; the Italian border, very close by, opens another route.

Nice is far from any fish auction: the nearest, Le Grau-du-Roi, is about 330 km away by road. The sea is in front of the city, but local small-scale fishing does not fill a wholesale market. Buyers in Nice therefore work with three circles: local fishing in small quantities, the French Mediterranean a few hundred kilometres away, Italy right next door.

  • 2"seafood products" companies in the MIN d'Azur directory
  • 49wholesalers at the food products market
  • 45professional fishermen supported by the Département

Source: MIN d'Azur (2026); Département des Alpes-Maritimes (January 2026).

The MIN d'Azur: what place for fish?

The Nice MIN (marché d'intérêt national), inaugurated in 1965, has been run directly by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur since 2011 under the name MIN d'Azur. It brings together a food products market and a flower market. Its website cites fish and crustaceans among the products of the food market, but its directory classes only two companies under "produits de la mer" (seafood products).

Key pointData
OperatorRégie des MIN d'Azur, Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur; 19 boulevard du Mercantour, Nice
Food products market49 wholesalers, 132 producers, 1,601 buyers, 100,004 tonnes
"Seafood products" companies2, according to the MIN directory
Food market daysFrom April to October: Monday, Wednesday, Friday; from November to March: Tuesday and Friday
Buyer accessFood products: 3 am to 2 pm; buying prohibited outside market hours
CardFree magnetic badge, reserved for professional buyers

Sources: website of the MIN d'Azur (presentation, hours, directory, buying at the MIN), consulted on 13 October 2026 and read again on 23 October 2026.

The MIN can group part of a Nice restaurant's purchases. For fish, it is only a top-up.

How to source fresh seafood in Nice?

  1. A wholesaler who delivers. They buy from fish merchants on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and from imports, and deliver in the morning. The most common route for a restaurant.
  2. A fish merchant in Marseille or Languedoc, direct. The fish merchants of the port of Saumaty, in Marseille, are about 200 km away by road; those of Le Grau-du-Roi and Sète about 330 to 360 km. The fish is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
  3. A local fisherman. With no fish auction in the region, the fishermen of the six prud'homies (local fishermen's associations) of the Alpes-Maritimes sell their catch outside any fish auction, direct or to fish merchants. Small, irregular quantities, but fish caught the same day.
  4. An Italian supplier. The border is about thirty kilometres away by road. As with any supplier, the label must state the catch area or the country of farming.

Where does the fish delivered to Nice come from?

OriginDistance from Nice by road2024 sales or key pointLeading species
Local fishing (Antibes Golfe-Juan, Cannes, Cros-de-Cagnes, Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton)on site to about 35 kmNo fish auction; 6 prud'homies, 45 fishermen supported by the DépartementSmall-scale inshore fishing; sea urchin and poutine in season
Sea farms of the Alpes-Maritimesabout 10 to 35 kmSea bass (loup) and gilthead sea bream; 1,500 t a year for the whole region (2015)Sea bass, gilthead sea bream
Marseille (Saumaty fish merchants)about 200 kmNo fish auction in operationMediterranean catch and imports
Le Grau-du-Roiabout 330 km2,319 t; €14.8MOctopus (14%), gilthead sea bream, hake, monkfish, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Sèteabout 360 km1,577 t; €9.5MMonkfish, octopus, gilthead sea bream, hake
Agdeabout 390 km1,189 t; €8.2MOctopus (21%), Atlantic bluefin tuna, gilthead sea bream, red mullet
Rungis (relay for all origins)about 930 kmSalmon, sea bream, sea bass, king scallop
Brittany and the Atlanticabout 1,000 to 1,300 kmLangoustine, Dover sole, monkfish, king scallop

Fish auction sales and species: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024. Rungis: Semmaris 2023 annual report. Local fishing: Département des Alpes-Maritimes, January 2026. Fish farms: DREAL PACA, 2015 regional assessment. Distances: editorial team's calculation, rounded. Delivery: generally the next day from Marseille and Languedoc, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier; from further away, the lead time also depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.

This table says the essentials: in Nice, local fish exists but it is scarce, and everything else travels. The Languedoc fish auctions are small (none exceeded 2,400 tonnes in 2024) and more than 300 km away. A sea bass or a gilthead sea bream may come from a farm a few kilometres away; a Dover sole or a langoustine comes from the Atlantic, from much further away.

Which days and at what time to order?

  • The MIN food market days change with the season: three days a week from April to October, two from November to March. Buyers enter from 3 am to 2 pm. Each wholesaler may have their own hours: ask them.
  • Local fishing depends on the weather and the season: boats go out for less than 24 hours. Ask the fisherman or the prud'homie for their sale days.
  • For a shipment from Languedoc or Marseille, ask each fish merchant for their order cut-off time and the time the fish arrives at your premises.

What is local or in season in Nice?

  • Small-scale inshore fishing, with nets, pots and longlines, mainly within the 3-mile coastal strip, with trips of less than 24 hours (DREAL PACA).
  • Sea urchin, in winter: the fishery opens on 15 December; in the Alpes-Maritimes, professionals can fish until 15 April, later than in the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône (prefectoral order of 29 September 2023; draft order of the DIRM Méditerranée of September 2026 for the next three seasons).
  • Poutine, sardine fry caught with a beach seine, authorised by derogation in the département: eleven weeks of fishing at most, between 1 February and 31 May, neither on Sunday nor on Monday (management plan for the beach seine in the Mediterranean).
  • Sea-farmed sea bass and gilthead sea bream, produced in the fish farms of Cannes, the cap d'Antibes and Cagnes-sur-Mer (DREAL PACA, 2015).
  • On the Languedoc side: octopus (at its highest in October), gilthead sea bream (peak in October), Atlantic bluefin tuna under quota, from July to September. These months follow the national rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024), not that of each port.

The seasonality calendar details the months of high landings; see also seafood in season in December.

How to compare several suppliers in Nice?

  1. Check the origin and production method on each line

    In Nice, the same species can be local, from Languedoc, Italian or farmed. The label must state the catch area or the country of farming: see the traceability guide and the labels guide.

  2. Work out the delivered price

    Transport from Languedoc or the Atlantic weighs heavily. Compare once delivery is counted, with each supplier's free delivery threshold and minimum order.

  3. Compare like for like: size grade and presentation

    A line-caught sea bass and a farmed sea bass of the same size grade have neither the same price nor the same use. See the size grades guide.

  4. Keep at least two sources

    Local fishing stops at the first gale; a Languedoc fish merchant and a local wholesaler secure the menu.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is there a fish auction in Nice?

No. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has had no fish auction since 2010, and FranceAgriMer counts no fish auction hall there in 2024. Fishermen in the Alpes-Maritimes sell direct or to fish merchants; the nearest fish auction is Le Grau-du-Roi, about 330 km away by road.

Does the Nice MIN sell fish?

A little. The MIN d'Azur food products market cites fish and crustaceans among its products, but its directory counts only two seafood companies, out of 49 wholesalers at the food market. Most fresh seafood arrives by other routes.

What are the opening hours of the Nice MIN?

Buyers enter from 3 am to 2 pm, on food market days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from April to October, Tuesday and Friday from November to March. A free magnetic badge is required. Check with each wholesaler for their own hours.

Where to buy local fish in Nice?

From the professional fishermen of the département, grouped in six prud'homies (Antibes Golfe-Juan, Cannes, Cros-de-Cagnes, Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton). With no fish auction in the region, they sell direct or to fish merchants. Quantities are small and vary with the weather.

Can a Breton fish merchant deliver to a restaurant in Nice?

Yes, by refrigerated carrier, but at more than 1,000 km by road: the lead time depends on the fish merchant and the carrier. Ask about it before the first order, along with the minimum order and the free delivery threshold.

Sources

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