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Turbot - Turbot
Appears in
Published 2010
Scientific name: Psetta maxima
This flatfish is native to the North Atlantic. The name derives from the Old Swedish word tōmbut, meaning thorn, butt, or stump. It was adapted to the English and French in the 13th century. The word is often mispronounced as tur-bo, likely due in part to the French pronunciation of words ending in -ot. The correct pronunciation is tur-bit or tur-but.
The European turbot is a large flatfish with close-set eyes on the left side of the body. Turbot are found close to shore in sandy, shallow waters throughout the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the North Atlantic. It can reach a weight of 30 to 40 pounds (13.7 to 18 kg). The Greenland turbot, also called the blue halibut, is usually found in the cold waters off Greenland, in waters 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) deep.