Fast delivery

Get in as fast as 1 hour

It’s all local

Shop your favorites

Direct chat

Connect with shoppers

Dover Delivery or Pickup

The Instacart guide to Dover

The Dover flatfish lives in the muddy seabeds of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean. The Dover is named after the English village where it was most fished in the 19th century. Dover found in the U.K. is different from the Dover that can be bought in the U.S. 

The European Dover is different from the one found in North America. This type of Dover is gray or brown on top and white on the bottom. It has both eyes on one side of its head and has a flat, oval body shape. It can weigh between 2-4 pounds as an adult, and it grows to about 70 centimeters in length.

Many people have enjoyed cooking with Dover since it's so widely available. Today, it can be found in the seas surrounding the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, and northern Africa. It can also be fished in the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to northern Mexico. If you're buying Dover in the U.S., you are most likely buying the Pacific Dover variety.

Dover can be enjoyed in many ways at home. You can bake, pan-fry, steam, or grill Dover fillets, but they should not be overcooked. It doesn't take more than ten minutes to grill Dover, about twenty minutes to bake it, and ten minutes to fry it. A hearty meal can be made by adding a side of vegetables, rice, or French fries. At the store, you can buy frozen fillets so you don't have to carve the Dover from scratch and can get to cooking right away.

Dover is prized for being easy to cook and is usually sold as fillets. Chefs also enjoy cooking Dover because of its buttery and versatile flavor.

About Dover

Dover doesn't have the same fishy smell as most seafood, and it has a more delicate, sweet, and mild flavor. Its texture is also more like meat, so it won't overwhelm people who don't usually eat fish. Because Dover is so hearty and flavorful, it's considered a high-quality fish. As a result, restaurants usually charge more for this type of fillet.

Dover is a healthy option that's high in protein, low in fat, and rich in vitamins like B-12, D, and phosphorus. Dover is also typically lower in mercury than other types of fish. Dover is in limited supply from January to April, while from May to December, there are more available to catch. Dover is one of the most popular fish to cook in restaurants and has a high reputation for its delicate flavor.

Dover cooking tips

Dover is a very versatile fish to cook with, which is why many chefs love coming up with dishes and menus that include it. It's also easy to cook at home, as it can be baked, poached, fried, grilled, or steamed. A simple pat of butter on a pan is enough to fry Dover. Home chefs should cook it just until the meat is cooked through. 

It's also best to take off the skin either before cooking or serving the fish as it has a leathery texture. Cooking Dover should highlight the flavor of the fish, so the less preparation and ingredients that will overpower its flavor, the better. 

The bones of Dover are quite good for fish stock and will give soup a hearty flavor. Usually, a nice sauce is made to accompany Dover. Serve your fillets with anything from tartar sauce to a lemon, parsley, and butter concoction. Lemon, parsley, and butter are common ingredients in the famous French dish sole meunière; Dover is the highlight of this recipe. However, Dover is best cooked without much sauce and served solo so that its flavor can be fully appreciated.

Dover Near Me

Buy your favorite Dover online with Instacart. Order Dover Fillets, and more from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.

FAQs about Dover

Like most foods and seafood dishes, Dover is best paired with a glass of white wine. The kind of ingredients you use for a particular dish will dictate the white wine you choose. For the most part, you should choose a white wine that doesn't overpower Dover's rich flavor. Wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Bordeaux are good choices.

Although the skin can crisp up, it's best not to eat the skin of Dover because it has a leathery texture that is not appetizing. 



Order via Instacart to save the time you would have spent heading to the grocery store and waiting in line. An Instacart shopper will do the work for you and usually be able to deliver your order within the same day! Instacart has a variety of items to choose from, even Dover fish, so you can start to think about which recipe to use for dinner. 

All you have to do is head to the Instacart app, go to the fish section and select the Dover fillets you want. These will be placed in your shopping cart, where you can then complete your purchase. Order to make your day a little easier by saving time and money. Enjoy experimenting with cooking or start your go-to recipe, and enjoy some Dover.