Species ( Scophthalmus maximus , family Scophthalmidae or Bothidae) of broad-bodied European flatfish , a highly valued food fish.
It lives along sand and gravel shores. It is left-sided (with eyes normally on the left side of the head) and scaleless; the head and body are studded with numerous bony knobs. Turbots grow to, at most, 40 in. (1 m) long and weigh about 55 lb (25 kg). Colour varies with the surroundings but is usually gray-brown or light brown with darker markings. A related species is the Black Sea turbot ( S. maeoticus ). Certain right-sided Pacific flatfish (genus Pleuronichthys , family Pleuronectidae) are also called turbot.