Dab | Good Fish Guide | The consumer guide to sustainable seafood

Common name - Dab

Scientific name - Limanda limanda

Average rating

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Consumer Information

Dab is an edible flatfish, the smallest in the flatfish group. Fresh dab tastes delicious. It looks a bit like plaice or flounder with both its eyes on the right side of its head. It is pretty versatile in the kitchen grilled, baked or pan-fried whole, whilst fillets can be poached. Dab is mostly taken as bycatch in trawl fisheries and often discarded, so by choosing to eat this under-utilised fish you are helping to reduce this wasteful practice. Avoid eating immature fish below about 20cm and fresh (not previously frozen) fish caught during or prior to the breeding season (April -June). Dab caught by a trawl method known as seine netting causes less damage to the sea bed than bottom trawl netting.

Summary

Dab are a relatively abundant species of flatfish which provide a more sustainable alternative to vulnerable, long-lived and overfished species of flatfish such as plaice. Because of it's low market value dab is often discarded. More demand for the species would help to reduce this. However, more comprehensive management of the fishery is required for it's long term sustainability. Choose dab caught using seine nets where possible, as this is the most sustainable option for catching the species and results in a better quality product.

Alternatives

(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)

Dab
Flounder
Halibut, Atlantic
Halibut, Pacific
Sole, Dover sole, Common sole
Sole, Lemon
Turbot

Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species.