Species sheet · The Edible Ocean
European flounder
An Atlantic flatfish at home in estuaries.
- Pan-fried meunière
- Baked in parchment
- Grilled whole on the skin
- In French
- Flet
- Scientific name
- Platichthys flesus
- In the water
- A flatfish of coastal and estuarine waters in the north-east Atlantic, living on sandy or muddy seabeds to 100 m.
- Season & buying
- Present year-round; landings and quality vary by area and stock.
- Common length
- ~50 cm
- How to identify it
- Both eyes on the right side
Diamond-shaped flattened body
Mottled brown-grey colouring
On the plate
Delicate, lean and faintly sweet flesh.
Avoid: Drying it out: the fine flesh needs a short, gentle cook.
Tolerant of brackish water, it sometimes travels far up estuaries away from the sea.
In Umay recipes
One Umay recipe calls for it.
