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Langoustine:professional buying guide, season, size grades per kilo, live or chilled

Langoustine for the trade: season from April to July, size grades in pieces per kilo, Breton fish auctions, live or chilled, sulphites, substitutes.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. How to read a langoustine size grade?
  3. Live, chilled, cooked: which to choose?
  4. How to judge freshness?
  5. What pitfalls to avoid?
  6. What to replace langoustine with?
  7. What makes the price of langoustine move?
  8. Frequently asked questions

The langoustine, or Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), is a small bottom-dwelling crustacean caught by trawl on the muddy grounds of the Bay of Biscay, the Celtic Sea and the North Sea; it is sold live, raw on ice, cooked or frozen, and graded by the number of pieces per kilo: the smaller the number, the larger the langoustine. Three fish auctions in southern Brittany, Lorient, Concarneau and Le Guilvinec, account for more than three quarters of French auction sales.

Buying sheet

Langoustine
Scientific nameNephrops norvegicus
Peak seasonApril to July, peak in May. Scarce from October to February
Closed seasonNo national closure; quotas and minimum sizes by area
EU size grades, whole1: 20 pieces or fewer per kilo; 2: 21 to 30; 3: 31 to 40; 4: more than 40
EU size grades, tails1: 60 pieces or fewer per kilo; 2: 61 to 120; 3: 121 to 180; 4: more than 180
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)10/15, 15/20, 20/30, 30/40, 40/60 pieces per kilo
Main fish auctions (2024)1,882 t sold at auction. Lorient 29%, Concarneau 24%, Le Guilvinec 23%, Le Croisic 10%, Loctudy 6%
OriginsFAO area 27: Bay of Biscay (ICES divisions 8a and 8b, the "Grande Vasière"), Celtic Sea, west of Scotland, North Sea; also imported, live or frozen
Fishing methodsBottom trawl (langoustine trawlers); pots, less common
YieldNot given by our sources (Seafish, FAO). Example: the tail makes up about a third of the weight, to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageLive: kept cool, under a damp cloth, to be cooked as soon as possible. Chilled: 0 to 2 °C, to be cooked the same day

Size grades: Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II. Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

  • 1,882 tof langoustine sold at French fish auctions in 2024
  • 76%of these sales at Lorient, Concarneau and Le Guilvinec
  • 423 tsold in May 2024, the peak month

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024.

How to read a langoustine size grade?

"20/30" means 20 to 30 langoustines per kilo, i.e. pieces of 33 to 50 g. The table below converts the usual size grades into unit weight and use:

Size grade (pieces per kilo)Weight of one pieceTypical use
10/1567 to 100 gfine dining, whole piece on the plate
15/2050 to 67 gpremium seafood platter, plancha
20/3033 to 50 gplatter, brasserie
30/4025 to 33 gplatter, boiled
40/6017 to 25 gpeeling, bisque, prepared dishes

Unit weights calculated by the editorial team (1,000 g divided by the number of pieces).

Live, chilled, cooked: which to choose?

  • Live: the top of the range, caught by inshore boats that come back every day. It must move and curl its tail when picked up.
  • Raw on ice: dead but fresh, cheaper, to be cooked without delay.
  • Cooked: ready for the platter, short shelf life.
  • Frozen: consistent all year round, for cooking.

How to judge freshness?

Shiny pinkish-orange shell; black, shiny eyes; firm tail; a smell of the sea, never of ammonia. Black spots on the head (melanosis) are the first sign of ageing: harmless, but they show that the langoustine is no longer from the day's catch.

What pitfalls to avoid?

  • Sulphites. To delay melanosis, langoustines may be treated with sulphites, an allergen that must be declared. A langoustine that has looked "perfect" for three days deserves the question.
  • The inverted size grade. On a price list, "10/15" is larger than "30/40". Comparing two offers without aligning the size grades distorts everything.
  • "Live" that no longer is. Check on receipt: a live langoustine reacts.
  • The name "scampi". In a prepared dish, this word can refer to other crustaceans; only the scientific name is authoritative.

What to replace langoustine with?

UseSubstitute
Platter, out of seasonFrozen langoustine, common prawn (bouquet)
Plancha, whole pieceGambas, carabinero
Bisque, prepared dishesFrozen langoustine tails, small size grades (40/60)

What makes the price of langoustine move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Langoustine
Yearly averageabout €13.00/kg
Cheapest monthJune: about €10.30/kg
Most expensive monthDecember: about €22.40/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €9.60/kg (Loctudy) to €14.40/kg (Le Croisic)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026), all size grades and all states combined. Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of langoustine volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

The price of langoustine moves against its landings, almost month by month. In 2024, from April to July, the auctions sold 242 to 423 t a month, at an average price between about €10.30 and €14.10/kg; from October to December, only 26 to 36 t a month, between about €19.20 and €22.40/kg. The best time to buy is therefore late spring, May and June, and the most expensive the end of the year, when holiday platters arrive on the lowest landings; 2025 shows the same profile. Between the auctions that matter, the spread exceeds €4/kg: the average does not say which size grades or which state each auction sells, so always compare at equal size grade and state.

  • The season, against volumes: in 2024, the average auction price doubled between spring and December.
  • The size grade: large size grades cost much more per kilo.
  • The state: live above chilled, chilled above frozen.
  • The holidays: year-end platter demand, when landings are at their lowest.
  • The weather on the Grande Vasière, which sets the landings of Breton inshore boats every day.

Frequently asked questions

When is langoustine in season?

From April to July, with a peak in May: the period when it is most plentiful and cheapest. From October to February, landings are low and prices high.

What does "langoustine 20/30" mean?

20 to 30 langoustines per kilo, i.e. pieces of 33 to 50 g. The smaller the number, the larger the langoustine. The EU scale puts langoustines of 20 pieces or fewer per kilo in size grade 1.

Why does the head of a langoustine turn black?

It is melanosis, a natural reaction after death. It is not dangerous but signals a langoustine that is no longer from the day's catch. Sulphites delay it; they must then be declared as allergens.

Where is the langoustine sold in France caught?

Mostly in the Bay of Biscay, landed in southern Brittany: Lorient, Concarneau and Le Guilvinec make more than three quarters of auction sales. Part of the langoustine sold in France is also imported, live or frozen.

What is the price of langoustine?

In 2024, about €13.00/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €10.30/kg in June to about €22.40/kg in December (FranceAgriMer), all size grades combined. The price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin, and large size grades cost more.

Sources

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