Common sole

Distribution : Mediterranean · Atlantic Ocean

Marine region

Boiled, roasted or fried: sole was already appearing in English cookery books during the fifteenth century. A medieval collection explained how to prepare it, long before the modern recipes that made it famous. Behind a fish now associated with fine dining lies a much older history of cooking, markets and European tables.

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Habitat

Sand, Gravel, Detrital bottom

Depth

10-200 m

Group

Role

Predator

Average size

15 cm

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

The Dover sole (Solea solea) has a very flat oval body, brown to grey and often mottled. Both eyes sit on the same side, and the rounded snout carries a small curved mouth.

The pectoral fin, the small fin behind the head, shows a dark patch towards its upper rear edge. The tail fin often has a dark fringe.

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