Halibut and Turbot are different fish, but they're close enough in the kitchen to stand in for one another.
Pleuronectidae
Halibut
Halibut is the largest of the flatfish and the one most people meet as a thick white steak rather than a thin fillet — a Pacific halibut can pass 200 kg, so it is butchered into cross-cut portions with the grain running through them like a piece of meat. The flesh is snow white, very lean and unusually firm, in large sheets that hold together on a grill where sole or plaice would fall apart. That leanness is also the trap: there is almost no fat to protect it, and a halibut portion taken two minutes too far goes from silky to dry and cottony with no warning. Cook it to just-opaque and rest it. Two species are sold under the name and they are close enough to be used interchangeably in the kitchen: Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), heavily depleted and now mostly farmed, and Pacific halibut (H. stenolepis), line-caught in Alaska and British Columbia under one of the better-managed quota systems in the world. Spanish and Portuguese speakers should watch one distinction carefully: the fletán negro or alabote-da-Gronelândia sold cheaply across southern Europe is Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), a different, much oilier, softer fish — not the same thing as the fletán or alabote in this entry, and not a substitute for it in a recipe that wants firm white flesh.
Full guide →Scophthalmidae
Turbot
Turbot is a large, diamond-shaped flatfish considered one of the finest eating fish in Europe. Its thick, firm white flesh has an exceptional flavor and holds up well to roasting, grilling, and poaching. It is consistently one of the most expensive fish at European fish counters. It is particularly prized in France and Spain and is often served whole at the table as a centerpiece.
Full guide →The two premium flatfish, and the closest thing each has to an equivalent across the Atlantic. Turbot is richer, more gelatinous and cooks more forgivingly; halibut is leaner, firmer and cut far thicker, so it takes a grill better and punishes overcooking harder.
| Country | Halibut | Turbot |
|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Halibut | Turbot |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Halibut | Turbot |
| 🇫🇷France | Flétan | Turbot |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Fletán | Rodaballo |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | — | Rodaballo |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Halibut | — |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Alabote | Pregado |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Halibute | — |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Ippoglosso | Rombo chiodato |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Heilbutt | Steinbutt |
$275.00–$695.00 · Free US shipping (except Hawaii) · Alaska Gold Seafood
Buy halibut thick enough to cook the way it should be
- ·Line-caught Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)
- ·Boneless 8 oz portions
- ·Individually vacuum-sealed, frozen at sea
- ·5, 10 or 20 lb box
Alaska Gold Halibut Portions
Affiliate link — CarneAtlas may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Price checked 31 Aug 2026.
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