Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Dab

DAB, or Pleuronectes limanda, L. a fish that frequents the English seas, where it is caught in considerable numbers. It is, in general, of an uniform brown colour on the upper side, though sometimes of a darker shade. The scales are small and rough, and the lower part of the body is white. These fish are in season from February to April: they spawn in May and June, and become watery and flabby during the remainder of the summer. They are flat; and, though inferior in size to the common plaise, the dab is preferred in point of delicacy and flavour.