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

Common name - Flounder

Scientific name - Platichthys flesus

Average rating

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Consumer Information

When a flounder is born it has an eye on each side of its head. But gradually, the left eye moves over to the right side of the body as the flounder grows from larva to juvenile, and it settles onto the seabed on its left side. Flounder, also known as fluke, spend much of its time lying flat on the seabed. If your flounder fillets are not white when you buy them, they will become white when cooked. Best cooked with wine and sauces to prevent from drying out. There are no targeted fisheries for flounder, they are taken as by-catch in trawl nets. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 25 cm) and fresh (not previously frozen) fish caught during the spawning season (February-May in the North Sea). In North-Western England & North Wales Sea Fisheries Districts landing Flounder below 25 cm is prohibited. Choose fish from these areas where available.

Summary

Flounder stocks are not formally assessed but abundance appears to be increasing and therefore provides a more sustainable alternative to vulnerable, long-lived and overfished species of flatfish such as plaice. The most sustainable capture method to choose is gillnet or otter trawl. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 25cm) and fresh fish caught during the spawning season (February-May in the North Sea). In Cornwall and North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Districts, landing flounder below 25cm is prohibited. Choose fish from Cornwall, Northwest England and North Wales where available.

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.