Skip to content
LiveCriée
FR

Species

Dab:professional buying guide, size grades, dab or lemon sole

Dab (limande) for the trade: EU size grades, size, fishing areas, difference from lemon sole, freshness, yield, price and substitutes.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. Dab or lemon sole: what difference for the buyer?
  3. Which size grade of dab to choose?
  4. How to judge the freshness of a dab?
  5. What to replace dab with?
  6. What makes the price of dab move?
  7. Frequently asked questions

Dab (limande, Limanda limanda) is a small flatfish of the sandy grounds of the English Channel and the North Sea, generally 20 to 30 cm long, caught mostly by bottom trawl; it must not be confused with lemon sole (limande-sole, Microstomus kitt), another, larger species, sold under its own name. Its FAO French name is "limande". For Microstomus kitt, the French list of commercial names of July 2026 gives "limande-sole commune" and "limande-sole".

Buying sheet

Dab
Scientific nameLimanda limanda
Peak seasonNo national statistics of auction sales published for the species. Ifremer describes it closer to the coast in spring and summer, offshore in winter; spawning from winter to spring
Closed seasonNo closure, and no total allowable catch for dab in the 2026 EU fishing opportunities regulation
Minimum sizeNo EU minimum size (Regulation (EU) 2019/1241)
EU size grades1: 250 g and over; 2: 130 to 250 g
Usual size20 to 30 cm, 40 cm at most (Ifremer)
OriginsNorth-East Atlantic (FAO area 27): mainly English Channel and North Sea. A cold-water species, which disappears in the southern Bay of Biscay (Ifremer)
Fishing methodsMainly bottom trawl (Ifremer)
YieldNo value published by the FAO or Seafish for dab. Benchmark for plaice, a flatfish of the same family: 50% skin-on fillets for 750 g (Seafish), 34% skinless (FAO). To be measured on your own deliveries
StorageWhole, gutted, flat on melting ice (0 to 2 °C)

Size grades: Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II (upper limit excluded). Biology, areas and gears: Ifremer (2012). FranceAgriMer does not detail dab in its 2024 auction sales statistics: this page therefore gives no tonnage, no average price and no calendar for this species.

  • 20 to 30 cmusual length for a dab, 40 cm at most
  • 250 gthreshold of EU size grade 1 for dab
  • 302 tof lemon sole, another species, sold at auction in 2024, at about €6.80/kg

Source: Ifremer (2012); Regulation (EC) No 2406/96; FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024 (lemon sole).

Dab or lemon sole: what difference for the buyer?

They are two different species, of the same family as plaice, which are not bought in the same way.

DabLemon sole
Scientific nameLimanda limandaMicrostomus kitt
Size (Ifremer)20 to 30 cm on average, 40 cm at most30 cm on average, 65 cm at most
Groundssandy, from the coast to 150 mgravel and shell debris, from 40 to 200 m
Areas fished (Ifremer)western English Channel, North Seamainly Celtic Sea
EU size grades1: 250 g and over; 2: 130 to 250 g1: 600 g and over; 2: 350 to 600 g; 3: 180 to 350 g
Fillet yield (Seafish)not published57% for a 650 g lemon sole
Auction sales (2024)not detailed by FranceAgriMer302 t at about €6.80/kg, of which Douarnenez 95 t and Saint-Malo 74 t

Sources: Ifremer (2012); Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II; Seafish; FranceAgriMer, review of sales at fish auctions 2024, edition of 6 June 2025. Family: FAO ASFIS list (Pleuronectidae, like plaice).

On a price list or a menu, "limande" alone is therefore not enough to say which fish it is: the label must carry the commercial name and the scientific name (Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013, Article 35). Neither is a sole: Dover sole (Solea solea) is a third species, from another family (Soleidae), markedly more expensive at auction (about €19.20/kg on average in 2024).

Which size grade of dab to choose?

The EU scale for dab has only two categories: 1 (250 g and over) and 2 (130 to 250 g).

  • Whole portion, meunière or oven-baked: one size 1 dab per cover.
  • Fillets: the fillets of a small dab are thin; they suit frying, goujons or rolled fillets better than a fine plated dish.
  • Yield: no value published for dab in the FAO and Seafish tables. For plaice, a flatfish of the same family, Seafish records 50% skin-on fillets on a 750 g fish. Weigh your fillets over a few deliveries before setting the portion cost.

How to judge the freshness of a dab?

Shiny dark side, covered with clear slime; pearly white side, with no redness or bruising; bright red gills; bulging eye; stiff body, flesh that springs back under the finger; a clean smell of the sea. A yellowed white side or thick, dull slime indicate a tired fish. The EU regulation classifies dab, like sole and plaice, under the freshness scale for white fish (categories Extra, A and B).

What to replace dab with?

UseSubstituteNote
Whole portion, meunièreLemon sole, plaicelemon sole is larger
Poached or rolled filletsLemon sole, plaicethicker fillets on a large fish
More upmarket dish, same cookingDover solemarkedly more expensive at auction

What makes the price of dab move?

FranceAgriMer publishes no average first-sale price for dab: it appears neither in the table of main species of the 2024 review, nor in the auction sales workbook published in 2026. This page therefore gives no auction price for it. The only published benchmark concerns another species, lemon sole: about €6.80/kg on average in 2024, around €7.10/kg at Douarnenez and Saint-Malo, its two leading auctions. This figure does not apply to dab.

  • The size: a size 1 dab, served as a portion, does not sell at the price of a lot of small fish for filleting.
  • The exact species: "limande" and "limande-sole" are two products; a price can only be compared species for species, with the scientific name to back it up.
  • The gear and handling: caught by bottom trawl, dab can arrive marked; an intact fish fetches more.
  • The weather: a few days of bad weather are enough to reduce supply.
  • The cost of the chain: on a small fish, sorting, ice and transport weigh heavily in the delivered price.

Frequently asked questions

Are dab and lemon sole the same fish?

No. Dab (Limanda limanda) is a small flatfish of sandy grounds, generally 20 to 30 cm long. Lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) is another, larger species (30 cm on average, up to 65 cm according to Ifremer), with its own EU size grades and its own sales statistics.

Is dab a sole?

No. Dover sole (Solea solea) is another species, from another family, sold by size grade and markedly more expensive at auction. Dab can replace it as rolled fillets or fried, not as a sole to be charged at the same price.

What are the size grades of dab?

The EU scale has two categories: 1 for dab of 250 g and over, 2 for dab of 130 to 250 g. Lemon sole has its own scale, from 1 (600 g and over) to 3 (180 to 350 g).

What is the minimum size of dab?

The EU minimum size regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/1241) sets none for dab. It generally measures 20 to 30 cm.

Where is dab caught?

Mainly in the English Channel and the North Sea, by bottom trawl, on sandy grounds. It is a cold-water species, which becomes scarcer towards the south and disappears in the southern Bay of Biscay (Ifremer).

Sources

Read next