RELATIVE COST
3 Stars
Witch is common in the northern North Sea, west of the British Isles and in Icelandic waters. It is a right-eyed flat fish (both eyes on the right-hand side of the body) with a small head and mouth and prominent eyes. They can attain lengths up to 78 cm and weights of approximately 2 kg, but are slow-growing and late-maturing.
Spawning occurs from May to September and the larval period is relatively long, between 6 to 12 months. On average they live for about 14 years but the maximum reported age is 25 years. They prefer soft mud and sand-mud habitats in deep water around 100-400 m depth and temperatures of 2–6 °C at. Their main diet consists of crustaceans, worms, brittle stars and fish.
Quirky Factor
Witch is afflicted by the common problem of UK consumers shying away from eating species they are unfamiliar with and sticking to consuming the big five species. For this reason witch is sometimes referred to as Torbay sole. This appears to be an attempt to ‘re-brand’ witch and associate it with the more commonly eaten (and more expensive) Dover sole.
Cooking / Eating Benefits
Despite its strange appearance and spooky name, Witch is an excellent eating fish and a fraction of the price of their celebrity cousin the Dover Sole. Current stocks of Witch are also in better shape than Dover Sole so it is also a more sustainable replacement. Witch can be cooked in exactly the same way as any other sole or plaice. As with sole and plaice, it is best cooked simply and on the bone. Grilled, baked or floured and pan-fried, you need do very little to achieve a perfectly cooked piece of fish. A little bit of herb and garlic butter is all that’s needed to make a delicious meal of this fish, or it can be substituted into any other flatfish recipe.
