European Plaice

Scientific name: Pleuronectes platessa

With its mottled green skin punctuated by red or yellow spots, its red tail fin, and its dorsal rays fanning out, this is an extravagant looking fish! Measuring up to 39 inches (100 cm) and weighing as much as 15.5 pounds (7 kg), the European plaice has long been a favorite for European consumers. In England, for example, it is commonly, though by no means exclusively, battered and used in fish and chips. Although it has been heavily fished in other parts of Europe, plaice stocks are in relatively good shape off the coast of Germany.