You don’t often see a large turbot these days. My guess is that the big ones, like most of the lobsters and crabs caught in our waters, go to Spain or France. The specimen which I saw in Paris earlier this year was being cut into fat steaks for sale at 90 euros per kilo, or about £27.50 per pound. Perhaps there is no market in Britain for the king of white fish at this sort of price.
I have in the larder a long, oval fish kettle suitable for salmon, but I wonder whether anyone still uses the diamond-shaped kettle which was designed, probably in the 19th century, to take large flat fish and especially turbot. In France it is called a turbotière and is no doubt still in service in grand kitchens. A 25-pound turbot is not unusual; when cooked it can be simply lifted by the handles of the perforated rack which sits inside the kettle.
Brillat-Savarin was said to have been invited one evening to cook a large turbot in a country house which had no turbotière. He found instead a flat wine pannier of a suitable size to hold the fish and covered it with chopped onions and herbs. The turbot was then laid on top, covered with a washtub, and steamed over a water-boiler on top of the stove. The great epicure commented afterwards that the excellence of the dish caused him no surprise.
The fish which I was able to buy the other day weighed two pounds, cost a little less than £13 and was an ideal size for two people. (This was a wild fish, but farmed turbot of a similar size are often available.) I cut a slit down the middle of its back (dark skin), then poached it gently in water and milk with a few lemon slices.
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