Description

Just Brill!

Akin to turbot, brill is, in our opinion, a vastly underrated flatfish caught off the coastal waters of the UK. Its taste is also similar to turbot, albeit slightly sweeter with a firm flesh and white underbelly. Yielding up to four large portions per average fish, its value for money is what makes this fish so special.

Brill-iant (sorry!) Facts

The main season for brill in British waters is May to December, but it is at its best between June and August.

Its usual diet consists of shrimps, small prawns, worms, crustaceans, plus smaller fish on occasion.

Since they are flatfish, they prefer sandy banks and seabeds, but mature fish rarely come into the shallower waters, doing so only to spawn.

Netted by trawlers further out to sea, it is also caught by some fishermen using seine nets or gill nets. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) view this species as of least concern due mainly to its sustaining good stock levels, so you know by purchasing it you’re doing your bit for the environment too!

If you like to buy your fish whole, it helps to know how to fillet it. Here’s Gordon with a video on how to do it.