The aim of the study was to investigate the replacement of fish oil by vegetable oils and the effects of a washout with a return to fish oil on growth performances and lipid metabolism. three experimental fish meal-based isonitrogenous (crude protein content: 57.5%) and isolipidic (crude lipid content: 16.5%) diets were formulated containing either 9% of added fish oil (170), soybean oil (SO), or linseed oil (LO). Each diet was distributed to triplicate groups of 25 marketable size turbot (initial body weight of 579 g) grown in seawater at water temperature of 17 T. Fish were fed once a day to visual satiety. At the end of the growth trial, which lasted 13 weeks, all groups of turbot were fed with FO diet for 8 weeks. The growth of turbot was high, but the incorporation of vegetable oils in the diets resulted in a slight decrease in growth as compared to those fed with fish oil-based diet. Feed and protein efficiency and whole body composition were not affected by dietary lipid sources. Total lipid content was low in the muscle of turbot (below 2%); ventral muscle being fatter than dorsal muscle. Liver and muscle fatty acid (FA) composition reflected dietary FA composition. Liver and muscle of fish fed with SO diet were rich in 18:2n-6, whereas those of fish fed with LO diet were rich in 18:3n-3. Liver and muscle of fish fed with SO and LO diets had lower levels of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 in comparison to those of fish fed with FO diet. In turbot, hepatic lipogenic enzyme activities were low and not influenced by dietary lipid source. At the end of the second period, after transfer to FO-based diets, muscle. FA composition of fish fed previously with SO and LO diets were still different to those of fish fed with FO diet. The values of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, respectively, were lower than the values found at the end of the growth period, but higher than those of fish fed with FO diet. An increase of FA levels, characteristic of fish oil, was observed in the liver and muscle of fish previously fed with vegetable oils. Data obtained show that replacement of fish oil by vegetable oils is possible with negligible impact on growth performance of turbot, that dietary lipids are an effective vector to influence the nutritional quality of finished product, and that a duration of 8 weeks is not sufficient to bring the FA profile of turbot of this size back to that of fish fed with fish oil over the whole period.