Sole Meunière

Method

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1. Pat the sole bone dry on both sides and season with salt and white pepper 5 minutes before cooking.

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2. Season the flour, then dredge each fish, pressing lightly and shaking off every loose speck — excess flour burns in the pan.

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3. Heat the clarified butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

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4. Lay in the fish, presentation side down, and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until deep gold. Turn once with two spatulas and cook 3 minutes more.

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5. Lift onto warmed plates. Wipe the pan clean of any burnt flour.

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6. Add the fresh butter to the pan over medium heat and swirl until it foams, then subsides, and the milk solids turn hazelnut brown and smell of toasted nuts, about 90 seconds.

   Mark done Start 90 sec timer

7. Take off the heat, add the lemon juice — it will spit — then the parsley, and pour immediately over the fish. Serve with the lemon wedges.

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Chef’s Tips

• Ask the fishmonger to skin and trim the sole. It is a fiddly job and they will do it in thirty seconds.
• Beurre noisette goes from perfect to burnt in about fifteen seconds. Have the lemon juice already measured and standing by.
• Lemon sole, plaice or trout fillets all work; reduce the cooking time to 2 minutes a side for fillets.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed new potatoes with parsley
• A crisp Chablis or Muscadet
• Buttered green beans or wilted spinach

Storage & Reheating

This is a dish to cook and eat within minutes. Leftovers are not worth keeping.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.