The elegant cousin of the flounder. It shares the same flattened, sideways-swimming body. But it is wider, rounder and more symmetrical. Mottled sandy brown with darker blotches marks the skin. A distinctive wavy pattern of pale lines runs across the back. The fins are edged with pale creamy yellow. It is a flounder dressed up for a nice dinner. It is an ambush predator with a lazy streak. Brill bury themselves in sand or gravel. They leave only their eyes exposed. They wait for small fish or crabs to swim past. The mouth is larger than a flounder's. It is capable of swallowing surprisingly big prey. It does not chase. It waits. It is slower-growing than flounder. It takes several years to reach breeding size. That is the trade-off. Elegance comes at a cost. A flatfish that looks good and grows slowly is a flatfish that is vulnerable. It has a reputation among chefs as the best-eating flatfish in New Zealand. The flesh is firm, white, and sweet. It has a delicate flake that holds together in the pan. It is almost completely boneless. This makes it a favourite for fillets. It is a fish that restaurants want. Home cooks struggle to find it. The Maori name is not separately recorded. Brill was likely grouped with other flatfish. It was noticed but not named separately. That is the fate of the less common ones. They get overlooked. To eat a brill is to eat the fancy flatfish. It is the one ordered at a restaurant when trying to impress someone. Or it is the one kept for oneself when finding one in the net. It is the flatfish that chefs get excited about. The one that looks like a flounder but eats like a dream. That is the brill. Elegant, slow-growing, and delicious. A flatfish that demands respect in the kitchen. It delivers flavour on the plate. It carries on.