Skip to content
LiveCriée
FR

Species

Squid:professional buying guide, season, size grades, trawl or jig

Squid (encornet) for the trade: season from September to January, Boulogne and the Channel first, French names, freshness, cleaned yield and substitutes.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy squid?
  3. Encornet, calmar, toutenon: what you are buying
  4. How to judge the freshness of squid?
  5. What to replace squid with?
  6. What makes the price of squid move?
  7. Frequently asked questions

"Encornet" is the common name, on the French Atlantic coast and in the English Channel, for squid (Loligo vulgaris and Loligo forbesii), a cephalopod with an elongated body and white flesh, caught mostly by trawl in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay; the fifth species of French fish auctions by value in 2024, it is sold whole, to be cleaned, or already trimmed. FranceAgriMer counts it under the "calmars" (squid) line (Loligo and Alloteuthis), separate from cuttlefish and octopus.

Buying sheet

Squid (encornet)
Scientific namesLoligo vulgaris, Loligo forbesii; small squid Alloteuthis
Peak seasonSeptember to January, peak in October and November. Very low from April to June
Closed seasonNo EU closure or quota
Minimum sizeNo EU minimum size
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)Small, medium, large, or 100/200 g, 200/400 g, 400 g+; "supions" for the very small ones
Main French fish auctions (2024)5,541 t sold at auction. Boulogne-sur-Mer 27%, Port-en-Bessin 16%, La Turballe 8%, Les Sables-d'Olonne 7%, Saint-Quay-Portrieux 7%, Cherbourg 5%, Erquy 5%
OriginsFAO area 27: English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea; also imported frozen
Fishing methodsBottom and pelagic trawl; jig (line) for small quantities
Yield60% cleaned and trimmed for a 300 g squid (Seafish); 67% edible portion (FAO)
StorageWhole, on ice, protected from fresh meltwater (0 to 2 °C)

Tonnage and shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer, report published on 6 June 2025), "calmars" line. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

When to buy squid?

In autumn and early winter. In 2024, auction sales topped 1,000 tonnes a month from October to December, with a peak of 1,440 tonnes in October, then fell back to a few dozen tonnes a month from April to June. Landings pick up again from July and rise until September. The price does the opposite: lowest in October, highest in April.

  • 1,440 tof squid sold at auction in October 2024
  • 26 tin April 2024
  • 5,541 tover the year 2024, 41% more than in 2023

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, 2024 data.

Cheapest monthMost expensive month

  • Squid (encornet)

    Cheapest month : about €4.80/kg (October)Most expensive month : about €15.60/kg (April)

2024 was an exceptional year: 41% more volume than in 2023, and an average price down 19%. Squid landings vary a lot from one year to the next; it is better to follow prices than to rely on a fixed calendar.

Encornet, calmar, toutenon: what you are buying

  • Squid (Loligo): slim body, diamond-shaped fins along the rear half of the mantle, white and tender flesh. In France, it is sold under the name "calmar" or "encornet".
  • Toutenon (Todarodes sagittatus): another squid, thicker, with short arrow-shaped fins and firmer flesh. "Toutenon" is only a common name: on the label, this species can also be called "calamar" or "encornet".
  • Supions or chipirons (common names): small whole squid, for frying or pan-frying.
  • Imported frozen squid: steady all year round, often as tubes or rings.

Two different species can therefore carry the same name "encornet": only the scientific name on the label tells them apart.

How to judge the freshness of squid?

Intact skin, dotted with sharp purple-brown spots; translucent, firm and elastic flesh; black and shiny eyes; tentacles that still "stick" to the finger. Squid that ages turns pinkish, then opaque white, its skin tears, and its smell turns quickly. Squid left in meltwater swells and loses its firmness.

What to replace squid with?

UseSubstituteNote
On the plancha, in stripsCuttlefishthicker flesh, similar yield
StuffedToutenon, frozen squidfirmer
FriedSupions, small squidwhole, little preparation
Salad, carpaccioCooked octopusneeds long cooking

What makes the price of squid move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Squid (encornet)
Yearly averageabout €6.80/kg
Cheapest monthOctober: about €4.80/kg
Most expensive monthApril: about €15.60/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €5.00/kg (Port-en-Bessin) to €8.20/kg (Boulogne-sur-Mer)

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). Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of squid volumes. "Calmars" line of the workbook. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

The price of squid moves against its landings. In 2024, from October to December, the auctions sold more than 1,000 t a month, at between €4.80 and €7.80/kg; in April and May, only 26 then 20 t, at more than €13/kg. From the cheapest month to the most expensive, the price tripled. 2025 repeats this profile, with October still the cheapest month and April the most expensive. The spread between auctions is real: Boulogne-sur-Mer, the leading auction, is also the most expensive, without the workbook saying whether this comes from size, quality or outlets. Do not compare these prices with those of "encornets rouges" (broadtail shortfin squid, Illex coindetii), which FranceAgriMer counts separately: 418 t in 2024, at about €3.20/kg on average.

  • Landings: very variable from one year to the next, they set the price; in 2024, abundance pushed the average price down.
  • The season: higher prices when fresh squid becomes scarce, from spring to early summer.
  • The size: large, regular squid, ready to stuff or grill, cost more.
  • The condition: squid damaged by the trawl loses value.
  • The presentation: whole or cleaned; compare per cleaned kilo.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between encornet and calmar?

Essentially none: "encornet" is the common name for squid (calmar) on the Atlantic and in the English Channel, and both names are permitted for Loligo vulgaris. However, the name "encornet" can also cover other species, such as the toutenon (Todarodes sagittatus), which is firmer: the scientific name decides.

When is squid in season?

From September to January at French fish auctions, with a peak in October and November in 2024. Sales are very low from April to June and pick up again from the summer.

What is the yield of cleaned squid?

About 60% of the whole weight for a 300 g squid, cleaned and trimmed (Seafish). For 150 g of cleaned squid per plate, allow 250 g of whole squid.

How to recognise fresh squid?

Its skin is intact and spotted, its flesh translucent and elastic, its eyes black and shiny. Squid that is white and opaque, or smells strong, is no longer today's catch.

What is the auction price of squid in France?

In 2024, about €6.80/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €4.80/kg in October to about €15.60/kg in April (FranceAgriMer, "calmars" line). This is the price of whole squid: the price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin, and cleaned squid is compared per cleaned kilo.

Sources

Read next