Brill

Brill is similar to Turbot, yet remains a very underrated fish, despite being generally less expensive. It has an almost oval body, a grey-brown dark side with light and dark freckles (but no tubercles), and ranges from 400g to 4kg. As with Turbot, the skin colour changes according to where it is caught – lighter colours are found on sandy seabeds, with darker, richer colours found on muddier beds.

Admittedly, Turbot’s flesh has larger flakes, but Brill has a sweeter taste, which benefits from a bit more enhancement – try a sauvignon blanc reduction sauce, garnished with a spoonful of Avruga and chopped chives.

With both Turbot and Brill, the smaller fish (under 500g) are best appreciated on the bone, black-skinned and simply pan-fried with a herb butter or simple sauce, while larger fish (3kg+) yield great suprêmes, steaks and pavés which can be pan-fried, grilled, poached or baked.