Dover sole, are an oval shaped flatfish which are highly prized for their fabulous taste and texture. Thanks to a successful sole recovery plan sole populations are healthy in south western waters and sole is a good choice.
Sole stocks in Cornish waters have been well managed in recent years, thanks to the EU Sole recovery plan. The Trevose bank closure (off Cornwall's north coast) has also helped protect spawning sole and benefitted the recovery of the stock. Sole are caught in mixed trawl fisheries so there are risks of damage to the seabed and accidental by catch of sharks, rays and many fish species.
351 tonnes of sole were landed to Cornish ports in 2019 with a value of £4.4million (MMO data).
In some sense, the irony is that stocks are so healthy that the beam trawl fleet are forced to avoid some grounds at certain times as the limited quota enjoyed by the fleet means that they can end up dumping more than they land. Smart skippers target these most highly valued fish at certain times of the year in order to maximise their profit margins.
Last year the port was repeatedly broken by several Newlyn based boats over a number of weeks, starting in early March with the Enterprise then a few weeks later broken yet again by the Billy Rowney with the bulk of their grossing coming from Dovers.
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| Newlyn fish Dover sole prices in 1997 |
On the market this morning Dovers averaged £14.00 per kilo, low for the time of year and not really that much more than this auction price back in 1997 - 26 years ago - when fuel was around 30p a litre too - fuel at the quayside was 85p per litre last week and fuel is by far the biggest expense a boat incurs off the top.
Like many fish, Dovers have names given to them by fishermen. The local term for Dovers in general is 'stickers' - their rough skin enables them to stick to one another almost like velcro. The very largest fish are called 'doormats' as they resemble the coir kind of mat often found in homes. The smallest sizes are 'slips' and 'tongues'. Dovers are tough fish and find a way of getting through the smallest or any damaged meshes. Decky learners would often be reprimanded by their older and wiser colleagues if they ever missed the chance to mend even a single broken mesh - saying, "Every Dover that finds your hole is costing us all money from our wages!"
It was common practice in the days of shelving fish in the fishroom to stick Dovers together in pairs - white side inwards. The idea was to protect the look of the pristine white belly colour of the fish and protect them from being damaged or discoloured buried in the ice on the shelves. These days most boats box at sea thereby reducing the need to protect fish from damage when shelved.
Always best to ask your local fishmonger to skin the fish if you are going to cook them as fillets or on the bone. They have a delicate flavour and only need butter and a dash of lemon to bring out the best in them - what's more they cook in seconds so help reduce your household energy consumption!
However, if you want to have a go yourself Duncan from The Fish Shop in Camberley shows you how!