Found on the whitest of white-tablecloth restaurants, turbot (pronounced tur-bet) is a favoured flatfish for discerning chefs. A member of the Bothide, or left-eyed, family of flounders, Turbot is found in shallow inshore waters throughout the Mediterranean and north to the Norwegian Sea. Primary producers are the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK. Global supplies are limited, which accounts for the high price it commands. Farmed production in France, Spain, and Chile is supplementing wild harvests. Several lesser quality species of flatfish are sometimes passed off as European Turbot , including Greenland turbot and some West Coast Founders. Inferior in flavour and with softer flesh, these flatfish cannot compare to the real turbot.

Product Profile: Turbot has a gleaming flesh that retains it's bright-white appearance when cooked. The meat has a large flake and excellent mild flavour. Like all flatfish, Turbot yields four fillets with meatier back fillets than belly portions.

Cooking Tips: Treat Turbot with the respect it deserves, using preparations that highlight the delicate flavour and bright white flesh. Turbot is good baked whole. Steaming, poaching and pan-frying are preferable to grilling.

Substitutions: Pompano, Dover Sole