RELATIVE COST
3 – 4 Stars
Haddock are bottom feeding fish and occur mainly in waters from 40–200m deep, but are found down to 350m. Haddock mature at around 2–3 years of age, and can spawn anywhere in the area between the eastern Scottish coast and the Norwegian Deeps. Larvae hatch after one to two weeks and, at a length of 5.5mm, begin hunting for tiny crustaceans and other organisms from among the zooplankton. During this phase the young haddock remain in the open sea, near the surface, often seeking protection beneath the umbrellas of large Medusae (jellyfish).
After one or two years, when haddock have reached about 10cm they leave the pelagic habitat and become demersal. The maximum age of the haddock is said to be 20 years. However the haddock caught today are mostly between 2-6 years old and weigh around 400 grams to 1 kg approximately. Haddock feed mainly on small bottom-living organisms including crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, worms and fishes although they can vary their diet and act as both predator and plankton-eater or benthos-eater.
QUIRKY FACT
At around 3.5 cm Brill undergo a metamorphosis and change from a vertical life to a horizontal position. The right eye will migrate to the left side of the body. Their body shape turns oval. Unlike the Turbot, the Brill has flat eyes, with small, round, close together placed scales without bumps of bone.
COOKING / EATING BENEFITS
The texture of brill is not as firm as turbot, but firmer than Dover sole. It is a fish that can handle both delicate and strong flavours, working equally well with a light cream sauce or a full-bodied red wine sauce. The skin is not pleasant to eat so we recommend you remove it before cooking or simply don’t eat it. However, the bones and head from this fish make a superior stock for a fine sauce.
