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Megrim:professional buying guide, season, size grades, the flatfish of Le Guilvinec

Megrim for the trade: available all year, EU size grades, Le Guilvinec and Cornouaille fish auctions, freshness, uses, yield and substitutes.

Updated 5 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy megrim?
  3. Why is megrim so little talked about?
  4. How to judge the freshness of a megrim?
  5. Which size grade to choose?
  6. What to replace megrim with?
  7. What makes the price of megrim move?
  8. Frequently asked questions

Megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis), "cardine franche" in French, is a flatfish with pale, almost translucent skin, caught with bottom trawls by Breton offshore trawlers in the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay; available all year round at a moderate price, it is a portion-sized fish with delicate flesh, cooked whole or as fillets like a small Dover sole. Le Guilvinec is the leading French fish auction for it.

Buying sheet

Megrim
Scientific nameLepidorhombus whiffiagonis; also four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii)
Peak seasonAll year round, with no marked peak; slightly higher landings in July and October
Closed seasonNo closure; fishing under quotas
Minimum size20 cm
EU size grades1: 450 g and over; 2: 250 to 450 g; 3: 200 to 250 g; 4: 110 to 200 g
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)200/250 g, 250/400 g, +400 g
Main French fish auctions (2024)1,516 t sold at auction. Le Guilvinec 28%, Lorient 16%, Loctudy 15%, Concarneau 9%, Erquy 7%, Oléron 7%, Le Croisic 6%
OriginsFAO area 27: Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay
Fishing methodsBottom trawl (offshore and inshore trawlers of the Bigouden country)
YieldNot given by our sources; to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageWhole and gutted, on melting ice (0 to 2 °C), flat

Size grades: Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II (Lepidorhombus spp.). Minimum size: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241. Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

  • 1,516 tof megrim sold at French fish auctions in 2024
  • 28%of these sales at Le Guilvinec
  • 20 cmEU minimum size

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024; Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

When to buy megrim?

Whenever you like: it is one of the most regular fish at French fish auctions. In 2024, monthly sales stayed between 110 and 145 tonnes throughout the year. The price, however, moves: highest in January and February, it falls to its lowest from May to August, then rises again from September. For a regular dish of the day, megrim is a safe bet, especially in summer.

Sales have also grown: 1,457 tonnes in 2023, 1,516 tonnes in 2024, with an average price up 14%.

Why is megrim so little talked about?

In France, it remains a fish for connoisseurs, often served in Brittany, whereas in Spain megrim has its own trade name, "gallo del norte". For a chef, it is an opportunity: a quality flatfish, landed by the Bigouden ports, at a price unrelated to that of Dover sole.

How to judge the freshness of a megrim?

Megrim is fragile: thin skin, delicate flesh.

  • Pale, shiny, almost translucent skin, clear slime.
  • Bulging, clear eye; red gills.
  • Firm body, which does not sag when held by the head.
  • A mild smell of the sea; no red or yellow spots on the blind side.

A tired megrim turns dull and soft, and its skin tears at the slightest rub.

Which size grade to choose?

Size gradeTypical use
200/250 g (category 3)whole fish as a portion, meunière, plancha
250/450 g (category 2)generous portion, or four small fillets
+450 g (category 1)thicker fillets, oven cooking

Categories of Regulation (EC) No 2406/96; uses noted by the editorial team.

What to replace megrim with?

UseSubstituteNote
Whole portion, meunièreLemon sole, plaicesimilar flesh
Thin filletsWitch, small Dover soleDover sole markedly more expensive
Oven-baked filletSmall brillfirmer, more expensive

What makes the price of megrim move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Megrim
Yearly averageabout €4.30/kg
Cheapest monthMay: about €2.60/kg
Most expensive monthJanuary: about €5.80/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €3.90/kg (Le Croisic) to €4.50/kg (Concarneau)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of megrim volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

Megrim is an exception to the landings rule: in 2024, its auction sales stayed between 112 and 143 t every month, but its average price more than doubled between May (about €2.60/kg) and January (about €5.80/kg). So it is not megrim tonnages that drive this movement, and the workbook does not allow its cause to be given. 2025 shows the same profile: low prices in the height of summer, high from autumn to winter. From one auction to another, the spread stays narrow (about €0.60/kg between the auctions that count): for megrim, the season weighs far more than the port.

  • The season: prices highest in winter, lowest from May to August.
  • The size: large megrims sell for more per kilo.
  • The trips of the Bigouden trawlers: a few landings make the week's supply at Le Guilvinec and Loctudy.
  • The weather in the Celtic Sea, which keeps offshore trawlers in port.

Frequently asked questions

What is megrim?

A flatfish of the North-East Atlantic, Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis, with pale skin and delicate flesh, caught with bottom trawls and landed mostly at the fish auctions of Cornouaille (southern Finistère).

When is megrim in season?

It is available all year round, with regular landings. Its price is lowest from May to August and highest in January and February.

How to cook megrim?

Whole, à la meunière or on the plancha for 200 to 400 g portions; as fillets for the larger ones. Its delicate flesh cooks quickly and does not take overcooking well.

What is the difference between megrim and Dover sole?

They are two different flatfish. Megrim has pale skin and more tender flesh; Dover sole has grey skin and firmer flesh. Megrim costs markedly less.

What is the auction price of megrim in France?

In 2024, about €4.30/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €2.60/kg in May to about €5.80/kg in January (FranceAgriMer). The price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin.

Sources

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