Species sheet · The Edible Ocean
Common sole
It starts upright, then chooses the floor.
- Whole, sole meunière style
- Rolled fillets
- Gently steamed with lemon butter
- In French
- Sole commune
- Scientific name
- Solea solea
- In the water
- A flatfish of sandy or muddy north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean seabeds, often active at night.
- Season & buying
- Availability and recommended periods vary by area and stock; check current local guidance before buying.
- Common length
- ~35 cm
- How to identify it
- Oval brown-grey body
Both eyes on the right side
Small curved mouth
On the plate
Fine, delicate and faintly sweet flesh.
Avoid: Drowning its delicacy in a forceful sauce or cooking it for too long.
The larva begins symmetrical; as it grows, one eye migrates and the fish settles into life on one side.