Sole Dorée

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •One or two 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillets
• •Broad flexible fish spatula
• •Rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare fish and lemon

   If you are working with one skillet, heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet inside; this replaces the brigade's stream of hot platters without trapping moisture against the crust. Cut every trace of yellow peel and bitter white pith from the lemons, slice them crosswise into thin rounds, remove the seeds, and blot the slices dry. Pat both sides and the cavities of the sole very thoroughly with towels. Moisture left on the fish becomes steam in the pan, and steam prevents gilding.

2. 2

   Season and flour

   Season the sole on both sides with half the salt and all the white pepper. Spread the flour in a wide dish, lay each fish in it, and turn once to cover it with the thinnest possible veil. Shake off every loose patch. Flour only the fish going directly into the pan; if a coated sole has waited and turned gummy, brush off the damp clumps, blot the exposed fish, and dust it lightly again. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Heat butter and pan

   Set one or two 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillets over medium-high heat. For each fish, add about 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 41 g) clarified butter and heat until it flows freely and shows a lively shimmer without smoking. Clarified butter is essential here because its milk solids have been removed, allowing the flour to colour before the butter burns. If the butter smokes or smells sharp, discard that portion, lower the heat briefly, and begin with fresh clarified butter.

4. 4

   Fry and turn once

   Apply The Cooking of Fish à la Meunière (No. 778) as the governing frying preparation. Lower one sole into each pan, presentation side down and away from you, then leave it undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is evenly deep gold and releases when nudged. Turn it once with a broad fish spatula, supporting the head end with a second spatula if needed, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The flesh should be opaque beside the backbone and reach 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point. If the fish clings, do not scrape; give the crust another 20 seconds. If the flour darkens too quickly, lift the pan from the heat, lower the burner, and move the fish into clean warm clarified butter.

5. 5

   Drain and hold briefly

   Lift each sole onto the warm wire rack for a minute so excess butter falls away, then season immediately with the remaining salt. If cooking in batches, hold the first fish uncovered in the low oven for no longer than 8 minutes and replenish the pan with fresh clarified butter before continuing. Never cover the fish, and do not pour the frying butter over it. Sole Dorée is dished dry.

6. 6

   Garnish and serve

   Transfer each sole to a warmed plate and arrange the carefully peeled lemon slices beside it, not over the crust. Add no parsley, no squeeze of lemon, and no final butter froth; those would carry the preparation toward meunière. Serve immediately while the coating is crisp and the flesh still pulls from the bone in moist flakes. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for true Dover sole, Solea solea, small enough to fit flat in your skillet. Have the fishmonger remove the heads, trim the fins, and skin both sides while leaving the fish on the bone; the bone protects the delicate flesh and gives the finished sole its succulence.
• •Clarified butter is not decoration. Ordinary butter contains milk solids that darken before a whole sole cooks through. To make enough at home, melt 1 cup (240 ml / 225 g) unsalted butter gently, skim the foam, and pour the clear golden fat away from the milky sediment.
• •Crowding lowers the pan temperature and turns the flour pasty. Cook one fish per skillet, even if that means batches. The first sole can wait uncovered for a few minutes in a low oven; two fish pressed together cannot recover their crust.
• •Serve with plain boiled potatoes or a sharply dressed green salad, keeping both off the fish so the crust stays dry. A restrained dry white, such as Muscadet or Chablis, has the acidity this buttery preparation wants.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarify the butter up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate it in a covered container. Warm it only until liquid before frying.
• •The fishmonger can trim and skin the sole earlier the same day. Keep the fish cold on a rack, lightly covered, then dry it thoroughly before seasoning.
• •Peel and slice the lemons up to 30 minutes before serving, then keep the rounds covered and cool. Do not flour or cook the sole ahead; the coating softens quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)