Brill Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Left-eyed flatfish with an oval, somewhat elongated body, less rounded than turbot
• Smooth skin covered in fine true scales rather than bony tubercles
• Sandy brown to greyish-olive mottled pattern with small dark and pale speckles for camouflage
• Pointed snout and a moderately sized mouth
• Front rays of the dorsal fin are branched, a subtle but useful detail up close
• Typically 30-60 cm

Common look-alikes

• Turbot – rounder, more circular body with rough, knobby, tubercle-studded skin instead of smooth scales.
• Megrim – thinner, more delicate body with a much smaller mouth and different overall proportions.
• Other left-eyed flatfish – generally smaller or lacking brill's combination of an elongated oval outline and finely scaled skin.

Where you'll see one

Brill are found on sandy and muddy seabeds along European Atlantic coasts, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean, typically in shallow to moderately deep waters down to about 70 m. Like turbot, they rely on camouflage and often lie partly buried on the bottom.