Common Sole

The small eyes are close to each other on the right side of the body. This gives the fish the possibility of lurking half-buried in the sand for passing prey. The common sole, just like all other flatfishes, hatches as an "ordinary" fish with one eye on each side of the body. The young metamorphose to flatfish begins when they are about one centimeter long. The upper side is greyish-brown and the underside is white. The common sole approaches a maximum length of 70 cm (28 in). In the UK, a small sole is commercially called a "slip".

It has a preference for relatively shallow water (10–60 m) with sand or mud covering the bottom. They can be found at depths up to 200 m. Their preferred temperature range is from 8–24 °C. It is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the south of Norway to Senegal, and in almost all of the Mediterranean Sea. In the winter, it withdraws to the somewhat warmer waters of the southern North Sea.

The Dover sole feeds at night. Its diet consists of worms, molluscs and crustaceans.

Chefs prize Dover sole for its mild, buttery, sweet flavour and versatility, and for its ease of filleting. The fish yields fillets that hold together well in a variety of recipes.