The main production areas of sole fish are in China's coastal waters, and it is widely farmed in coastal provinces.

Sole fish, also known as tongue sole, is a marine fish that lives on the bottom of coastal waters. Its body is flat, and both eyes are on the same side of its head. Wild sole fish is found in the coastal waters of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, and catch records can be seen in coastal provinces and cities such as Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi.

In addition to coastal fishing, artificial farming of sole fish has also developed rapidly in recent years, with the half-smooth tongue sole as the main farmed species. Farming areas are mostly concentrated in coastal regions such as Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong, with common methods including industrial recirculating aquaculture, ponds and cages. The requirements for water temperature and water quality are relatively high.

It should be noted that much of the frozen sole fillet commonly seen on the market actually comes from basa fish from the Mekong River basin in Vietnam. It belongs to the freshwater catfish group and is not the same category as the true marine sole fish. The two are similar in appearance and taste, but basa fish has thicker fat and looser flesh. When purchasing, they can be distinguished by origin labels, flesh color and texture.

The flesh of true sole fish is tender and delicious, with only one main bone in the middle and almost no small intermuscular bones, making it suitable for the elderly and children. Fresh fish from coastal production areas is mostly supplied to nearby markets, while quick-frozen products flow to broader inland areas, making it one of the common seafood items on family tables.