Sole is a fish prized for its mild, delicate
flavor. It is an ocean fish of the flatfish family. Commercially
harvested sole in the U.S. are trawled from the west coast (petrale
sole, dover sole and flathead sole) and marginally from the east coast
(grey sole).
The native habitat of the sole is the north
Pacific, from Japan, across the Bering Sea and to the coast of North
America, as far south as Point Reyes, California.
Most sole are caught via trawlers, which are
fishing boats that drag nets on or near the ocean floor. They are also
caught by long line, gigging and hook-and-line methods.
Sole have both eyes on one side of the
head---they lay on the ocean floor and look up to seek prey. The top of
the fish is dark, which helps camouflage it from predators, and the
bottom is white.
sole eat shellfish and crustaceans when they are
young, and add live fish to the menu when they mature. Soles feed
intensely in June, July and September, when they are in shallow waters.
Whole sole range in size from 1 to 5 pounds.
Fillets are very thin, and can be quickly pan-fried or pan sauteed (2 to
3 minutes per side), or baked with herbs at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
It's done when you can flake the thick end with a fork.
