Preparing Flat Fish

Appears in

The Cook's Companion: A step-by-step guide to cooking skills including original recipes

Published 1991

About

Flat fish, which include plaice, sole, halibut, turbot and brill, all swim on their side – in fact, rather than swim they mostly lie on the seabed with both eyes on one side of their twisted faces looking for prey. Skates and rays also lie on the seabed and look like flat fish but they are actually cartilaginous fish, related to sharks.

Most flat fish are sold whole or in fillets, but large halibut and turbot can also be cut into steaks.

Flat fish fillets are versatile. They can also be fried gently in butter, cut into strips and sautéed with fresh herbs, ginger or mild spices, covered in a sauce and baked or covered in a light batter and deep fried. Fillets are also ideal for stuffing and rolling, then poaching gently before finally covering with a sauce made with the thickened poaching liquid. Whole flat fish, because of their characteristic thinness, can also be fried, grilled or baked.

Become a Premium Member to access this page

Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks
Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month
Recommended by leading chefs and food writers
Powerful search filters to match your tastes
Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe
Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover
Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Already a member?

Monthly plan

Annual plan

'Brilliant app for foodies'

'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

Fish and Shellfish

The licensor does not allow printing of this title