Why is “Dover Sole” so called?

I offered a glass of tipple to the first correct answer – Well, here it is…

Dover Sole is named after the Common Sole (also thought of as the “King of Sole”). It is caught in the Atlantic off the coasts of France and England. The city of Dover in England figures in the name by virtue of having been a main fishing port for the London market. But, the name “Dover Sole” applies to all Common Sole.

People ‘took’ the name with them to the New World and Dover Sole today refers to two species of flatfish:

• The common Sole, Solea solea, found in European waters. This is the “Dover Sole” of European cookery.

• Microstomus pacificus, found in the eastern Pacific and called “Dover Sole” along the Pacific coast of America.

The “Sole” refers to the shape of the fish –- a bit like the sole of a shoe.