Method

• For the spice mix, grind all of the ingredients using a pestle and mortar or an electric grinder. Store in an airtight tin or box.

• For the fish stock, put all the ingredients except the fish bones into a large pan, add 2¼ litres/3¾ pints water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the fish bones (or fish fillet) and bring back up to a simmer, skimming off any scum as it rises to the surface. Simmer for a further 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a clean pan and simmer a little longer, if necessary, until reduced to about 1¼ litres/2 pints. Keep warm.

• For the prawn stock, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the prawn heads and shells. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes before adding the tomato purée, salt, and 300ml/10fl oz water. Cook for 10 minutes, then pass through a sieve, pushing down on the shells to extract as much of the prawn flavor as you can. Discard the shells, set the stock aside, and keep warm.

• For the risotto, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the shallots and garlic gently until softened. Add the rice and fry it in the oil for 2 minutes, then add the Byzantine spice mix and stir it through the rice.

• Add the white wine, bring to a simmer and allow to evaporate, then add a ladle of the hot fish stock.

• When this has been absorbed, add the next ladle, and continue to do so, stirring after each addition, until you have only a couple of ladlefuls left, this should take about 16-18 minutes. Add the mussels and prawn stock.

• Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan until simmering and fry the red mullet strips, squid rings, and tentacles and shrimps briskly for 2–3 minutes.

• Season with salt and pepper. Stir the seafood into the risotto with the remaining fish stock and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until absorbed.

• Stir in the butter, crab meat, and parsley, and serve immediately.

Types of Flatfish in North America

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to tackle the specific species you can find in North America. If you’re only interested in British waters, feel free to skip down to the next section. Reading both parts will give you the clearest picture of how the family fits together, though.

Flounder

In essence, Flounder is the general name for hundreds of different fish. The group includes Halibut, Plaice, Dab – pretty much every Flatfish in North America. To keep things simple, let’s stick to the fish that actually have Flounder in their name.

Most North American Flounders live along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The most popular ones are Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder (American Lemon Sole), and Southern Flounder. On the West Coast, you also have Starry Flounder and California Flounder. More on that below.

Halibut

Halibut are the undisputed kings of the bottom, reaching over 8 feet long and several hundred pounds in weight. The two species of “true” Halibut are Atlantic and Pacific Halibut. Sadly, Atlantic Halibut is now endangered, so most of the fish for sale in North America is Pacific Halibut caught in Alaska.

Simple so far? Keep reading. California Flounder is often called “Halibut” because it’s a similar shape. There’s also Greenland “Halibut,” which the FDA rebranded to Greenland Turbot to avoid confusion. The fact that it’s not a Turbot either didn’t seem to matter. If you want specifics on the difference between Halibut and Flounder.

Sole

American Sole is a family of fish with small, barely noticeable heads and a high tolerance for freshwater. They’re a different family to European Soles, although the most popular ones are named after species in Britain. On the Pacific Coast, they include English, Petrale, Curlin, and Pacific Dover Sole (not the same as European Dover Sole).

There are also a couple of fish on the East Coast that people call “Sole,” namely Winter Flounder (“Lemon Sole,” but a different species to European Lemon Sole), and Witch Flounder (which sometimes goes by “Grey Sole”). If you’re buying Sole in a shop or a fish market, it’s most likely Pacific Dover Sole or American Lemon Sole, depending on where you live.

Plaice

Plaice is a name given to four different species of right-eye Flounder. Two of them live in North America, the most common of which is American Plaice. This fish lives on both sides of the Atlantic and goes by the name “Rough Dab” in Europe. There’s also a species in the Pacific called Alaska Plaice.

North America’s biggest commercial Plaice fishery is in Labrador in Canada. Chances are that any Plaice you buy was caught there. Alaska Plaice isn’t a huge target commercially and you won’t normally find them for sale unless you live on the North Pacific coast.

And So Much More!

There are a dozen more Flatfish names in North America. In short, they’re all Flounder. If you see something sold as “Turbot,” it’s either Greenland Halibut, Arrowtooth Flounder, or Curlfin Sole. Just bought some “Brill?” It’s probably Petrale Sole. All of these are Flounders.

Types of Flatfish in the UK

Flatfish are a lot less confusing in the UK. For one thing, there are far fewer species than in North America. There’s also the fact that they weren’t named at random by European settlers based on what they vaguely looked like. Here are the most common species.

Flounder

There’s only one fish in the UK called Flounder – European Flounder. These guys live all around the Britsh Isles and are a regular target for anglers and commercial crews alike. Despite this, Flounder stocks are much healthier than other British Flatfish, making it a good alternative if you’re looking for sustainable fish.

You can recognize Flounder by their long body and wide dorsal fins which give them a diamond shape when they’re extended but fold flat against their sides. Despite this, Flounder often gets mixed up with European Plaice. If you can’t tell which one you’re looking at, check the head. Plaice have a bony ridge on their heads, Flounder don’t.

Plaice

Speaking of Plaice, these are one of the most popular Flatfish to eat in the UK. As well as the commercial harvest, they’re a favorite among British sea anglers. The easiest way to identify Plaice is by their signature orange spots. They also have rounded dorsal fins, and have a clearly defined head like Flounder.

Similar to Flounder, European Plaice stocks seem to be healthy at the moment. They were massively overfished in the 1970s and ‘80s, but their numbers are now increasing, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Turbot

Turbot is the tastiest and most expensive type of Flatfish. So much so, that they have earned the nickname “King of Fish.” This makes Turbot a favorite for both commercial and recreational fishers. It also means that you sometimes find other fish sold as Turbot in less reputable restaurants.

Of course, there’s another downside to Turbot being so tasty: overfishing. Turbot numbers are decreasing and the species as a whole is vulnerable to extinction, according to the IUNC. If you want our advice, stick to other Flatfish species that cost half as much and aren’t nearly as overfished.

Sole

There are two species of Sole in the UK: Dover Sole and Lemon Sole. Neither of them is the same as their American counterparts, and some British anglers even see American Soles as fakes of their favorite foods. Dover Sole gets its name from the southern port town of Dover, and it’s most common in the South of England, but both these fish show up all around Britain.

Some are easy to recognize, thanks to their long body and small head. Dover Sole is a much more important fish, both commercially and recreationally. It lives in much shallower water, so it’s easier to get to. On top of that, Lemon Sole have tiny mouths that make them difficult to hook even if a sea angler comes across one.

And More!

Chips shops and fishmongers around the country are full of different Flatfish. Some, like Dab, have become common on British menus since more prestigious fish grew scarce. Others, like Brill, have always been enjoyed, but have never been as popular as mainstay species like Plaice or Sole.

And of course, there are some species, like Atlantic Halibut, which you can still buy but which are tragically endangered in the wild. If it has to be Halibut, make sure it’s Alaskan Halibut, as these guys are much more sustainably managed.

How to catch flatfish from the shore

With flatfish becoming the seasonal target fish, we explain how to catch them, especially the harder fighting orange-spotted plaice

Wanting to learn how to catch flatfish from the shore? The flattie angler needs to be a tactical thinker, who sees color and movement as crucial tools, and most of all has the image in the choice of rigs and baits.

Flatfish feed almost exclusively on the bottom. Their eyes are on the top of their heads, so they are always looking up and along the seabed. This gives them a unique perspective on life and probably explains why they are so attracted to movement and bling. Their world is almost one-dimensional, their narrow field of vision the focus of their attention. Yet they have very good eyesight – watch a flattie in a tank react to a wriggly worm tail and you’ll be amazed!

DRAWN TO MOVEMENT

Anything they see move is investigated, and this is what the angler needs to play on.

For generations, we have used all manner of beads and sequins to attract the attention of flatfish, and the art of bling has a cult following. Years back, Sea Angler ran a survey on the best-colored beads (red and yellow came out top and white didn’t fare badly). Nowadays, bling has moved on and far more sophisticated attractors have been added to the collection.

Basically, anything goes, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Nothing will put flatfish off a quality fresh bait, and the most outlandish rig and snood additions sometimes work.

Tried and tested combinations of bling still weave their magic, and are there to fall back on should your experiments fail.

THE BLING LIST

Standard 2mm plastic beads: The standard way to enhance a flattie rig is to add different colored beads up the snood above the hook. Anything from six to 12 beads in red, green, and yellow combinations seem to work well on most venues, fished on paternoster snoods, or on a short flowing trace from a boat.

Plastic beads sink and therefore tend to fix the bait to the seabed, at the same time emitting noise and vibration as they move and rub together.

Foam and pop-up beads: The latest additions to the bling list, and my favorites, are luminous floating beads with pink spots.

Available in a host of other vibrant colors too, they add buoyancy to the bait, lifting it so that it hovers and flutters just above the seabed, and I believe that is especially alluring to flatties. Even a passing fin may move the bait, and that movement will catch the fish’s eye.

You can use between one and three 2mm beads to lift the bait, but the more and the larger they are, the more the bait will be lifted. Baits popped up near the surface can work for mackerel and garfish in summer, but for plaice, you want something with more or less neutral buoyancy.

Sequins: Sequins in a range of sizes and colors add glitter and reflection to your hook snood. They can be bent to catch any available light, and the flattie standard is six sequins added to the snood above the hook, or alternated with small colored or luminous beads.

It’s sensible to add a stop up the snood so that they stay in position near the hook bait, where they in turn help to keep the bait around the hook. Make a stop with a 1cm length of silicon tubing, running the snood line through it twice then pulling the line tight so the silicon locks in place

Blades: Blades are more popular among boats than shore anglers because they offer resistance on the cast and reduce distance. Metal or plastic, they do add sound to move and come in a wide range of sizes. Add a silicon stop above and below to hold them in position.

Spoons: The flounder (or plaice) spoon has moved on apace in recent years, as homemade dinner spoons are replaced by a custom-made metal or plastic items. The theory is that the fish are attracted to the bait by the reflection and jangle of the spoon and its accompanying beads.

At the same time, because the spoon is constantly on the move, it’s not so easy for crabs to take the bait. That’s why the flounder spoon works so well in clear river estuaries early in the year when hungry crabs are feasting after their molt.FISH ATTRACTED BY BLING

Some flatfish are attracted to bling more than others – in my experience plaice are the most susceptible, followed by flounders, with dabs third and the rest all in joint fourth.

Obviously, I am talking shore fishing and so turbot, brill, and the rarer (megrim) and bigger (halibut) species are not included.

PLAICE (Pleuronectes platessa):

Plaice are distinctive, with bright red spots on the back – not flecks of red and orange like the dab – bony knobs on the head, and an opaque undersize with chevron patterns.

They are one of the larger flatfish, although their size and numbers have suffered in recent years from excessive trawling. Now shore-caught fish seldom weigh more than 1lb.

Currently, there has been a resurgence in plaice stocks, possibly caused by more restrictive commercial quotas, but the species is very slow-growing and so will always be under threat from all types of over-fishing.

Plaice respond to most of the bling tactics, with lugworms and ragworms the favorite baits. A tip of squid tends to pick out the better fish, and white ragworms are recognized as a special place bait in some regions. The best place is often caught at distance, so the wishbone rig is a long-time favorite – although I personally rate a clipped one-up, one-down rig with size 1-2 Kamasan B940 hooks. Plaice are rarely caught at night.

DAB (Limanda limanda):

The obliging little dab, savior of many an otherwise blank shore session, is a sandy brown flatfish with a lateral line curving around the gill.

Dabs are most common from October to May, and often act as ‘filler fish’ when the cod and whiting have left. Inquisitive, they will respond to sequins and beads, while on the bait front slightly sticky, stale lugworms usually catch well. The best rig is a three-hook paternoster, clipped or flapping depending upon the range needed.

In clear water, anything from one to six sequins can be used for dabs, with red a favorite. When fishing clipped down, the sequin is also an ideal bait stop, preventing the worm from sliding up the hook snood on the cast.

FLOUNDER (Platichthys flesus):

Flounders can be identified from the rough skin behind the head, bony tubercles at the base of fins, and a square-cut tail.

Once the most common of the UK flatfish, numbers have decreased in many estuary regions with various reasons put forward for the decline. Crab boats take many flounders for use as pot bait, and although few anglers take them home to eat they are quite delicate – after being caught and returned they do not always survive.

Flounders respond to all kinds of bling and movement. Fishing for them can involve moving the baits regularly and using small ragworms, which have wriggly tails.

The use of a long terminal rig with longer hook snoods is also recommended to spread the baits over a larger area of the seabed, especially when fish are swimming parallel to the shore in surf tables.

SOLE (Solea solea):

The Dover sole has a distinctive curved mouth, while the lemon sole (Micromostomus kitt) is more closely related to the dab and looks like it too, with a tiny mouth and speckled camouflage.

Soles are not as interested in bling as the other flatties and I believe that is because their eyesight is not so good – they are more nocturnal than the rest and like colored water.

They spend a lot of time buried, focusing on scent and vibration to locate prey. Small hooks (size 4) are essential, as soles have very small mouths – in fact, lemon soles are rarely caught on rod and line because they have even smaller mouths than Dover soles.

 VENUES FOR CATCHING FLATFISH

The various flatfish frequent different venues, and while a species may be plentiful from a particular beach it can be rare from the one next door. Habitat is dictated by diet and the type of seabed.

For example, dabs, plaice, and soles eat a lot of lugworms, shrimps, and shellfish and therefore tend to frequent sandy, shell grit storm beaches where marine worms and shellfish are regularly unearthed, broken up, and scattered inshore by storms.

These venues also produce dead and decaying shellfish weeks after a storm, when a ripple dislodges them, and this explains why some flatfish like baits that are ‘off.

Sand provides natural cover for flatties, and many bury or nestles into it as part of their camouflage strategy from larger predators. The color of the fish gives a clue to their preference – dabs, and plaice are a sandy color, flounders muddier looking.

In muddy estuaries flounders feed on shrimps, crabs, and small ragworms. It’s often only on mixed sand and mud venues that all the flatties will be found together.

Flatfish are renowned for being caught close in, with a short cast all that’s needed. This is because they exploit a particular habitat and food source, mainly the intertidal area where the turbulence of waves and tides unearths food. A favorite spot to cast to for flatfish like flounders and soles is the ‘gutter’ or low tide line where the seabed is regularly gouged by the waves at low water.

On the other hand, plaice and dabs can often be found further out where an indent in a sand bar or gully edge is disturbed by wave action from above that dislodges and exposes food.