Turbot

Ask the fishmonger for cleaned turbot cut into steaks with skin and bone retained. Explain the quantity as prepared steak weight. Pieces of similar thickness are easier to arrange in a single layer and cook evenly.

Dry the surface before placing the fish in the hot, flavored oil. Turn the pieces carefully, then add the vinegar and other liquids as the recipe directs. Judge cooking by the actual thickness of the pieces, and handle them gently as the flesh becomes tender.

Lift the pieces from the pan with support beneath them and spoon the peppery sauce over and around the fish. Put white polenta beside it to gather the sauce. Keep the bone-in form clear when portioning at the table.

Ask for rombo chiodato, Scophthalmus maximus. Confirm whether it is farmed or wild and where it was produced or caught, without assuming that fish sold in Italy was landed locally. For boreto, request skin-on, bone-in steaks rather than fillets and agree the cleaned weight with the seller.

Follow the seller’s refrigeration and use-by directions, keeping the fish covered and separate from foods ready to eat. Prepare it with clean tools and avoid leaving the steaks on the counter while making the rest of the dish. Keep the package details until preparation is complete.