Sole Meunière aux Morilles

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •10-inch (25 cm) skillet for the morels
• •Wide flexible fish spatula
• •Large oval ovenproof serving platter
• •Fine-mesh sieve or slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean and cook morels

   Trim the dry ends from the morel stems and split each mushroom lengthwise. Swish them gently in a deep bowl of cold water, wait for the grit to settle, then lift the mushrooms out instead of pouring them through the dirty water. Repeat with fresh water until no sand remains in the bowl. Bring the measured 6 cups (1.4 L / 1.4 kg) water and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) salt to a boil, add the morels, and cook at a steady simmer for 6 minutes. Drain, discard the cooking water, and spread the morels on a clean towel until thoroughly dry.

   Never taste a raw or partly cooked morel. The salted-water cooking and the later butter toss both matter, because morels must be cooked thoroughly before serving.
2. 2

   Ready fish and butter

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and warm a large oval platter inside. Melt 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) of the butter over gentle heat, skim away the foam, and pour the clear golden fat into a cup, leaving the milky sediment behind. This clarified butter gives two batches of fish the same clean heat. Blot the sole firmly with paper, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) salt and the white pepper, then dust each fillet with the flour and shake away every excess. Flour only as the skillet heats; left waiting, the coating turns damp and pasty.

   The flour should look like dust on the fish, not breading. Its job is to take color, protect the delicate flesh, and catch the butter.
3. 3

   Pan-fry the sole

   Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium-high heat and add half the clarified butter. When it shimmers, lay in 2 fillets, smooth side down, lowering them away from you. Cook without shifting for 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside is evenly golden with fine bronze edges. Turn with a wide fish spatula and cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until the flesh is opaque, separates in moist flakes, and reaches 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point. Transfer to the warm platter and repeat with the remaining fillets and clarified butter. Hold the first batch in the low oven for no more than 8 minutes.

   If the butter freckles dark before the fish colors, lift the skillet off the heat briefly and lower the flame. If it smells acrid, move the fish to a plate, wipe the skillet, add clean clarified butter, and continue. Ça se rattrape.
4. 4

   Make the meunière finish

   Pour the used frying fat from the skillet and wipe away any black flour crumbs, leaving the pale fish fond behind. Add 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) butter and cook over medium heat, swirling often. It will foam, quieten, and show hazelnut-brown flecks at the bottom. The instant it smells nutty, pull the pan from the heat and add the 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) lemon juice carefully. Stir in 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g) parsley and spoon the beurre noisette over the warm sole.

   If the butter goes black rather than hazelnut, don't pour it over the fish. Discard it, wipe the pan, and make a smaller clean finish with the cold 2 tablespoons of reserve butter and a squeeze from the lemon wedges. Ça se rattrape.
5. 5

   Butter the morels

   Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked, well-dried morels and toss for 4 to 5 minutes, until they are thoroughly hot, glossy, and lightly caught at the edges. If they release water, lift them out, let the liquid cook away, then return them to the butter. Arrange the morels in a generous ring around the sole and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 4 g) parsley over the mushrooms, exactly where it belongs.

6. 6

   Serve without waiting

   Set the platter down at once, with the lemon wedges alongside and a wide fish slice for serving. Meunière does not improve under a cover or beside a warming lamp; its pleasure is the meeting of crisp flour, tender fish, glossy butter, and morels still firm under the teeth. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh morels only. Their hollow caps should feel resilient and smell pleasantly woodland-like, never sour or musty. Buy them from a reliable forager or market, because false morels are not a substitute and can be dangerous.
• •This dish belongs to the brief fresh-morel season. If good fresh mushrooms aren't available, make Sole Meunière without the mushroom garnish and wait for the season to return. Dried morels are excellent elsewhere, but reconstituted mushrooms do not fulfill this entry.
• •Dover sole has the firmness to turn cleanly and remain tender. Lemon sole or flounder fillets can follow the same method, but they are more fragile and may need a minute less in the pan.
• •Pour a restrained white Burgundy, such as Montagny or Saint-Véran, or a non-oxidative Chardonnay from the Jura. You want enough body for the morels and butter, with freshness left for the fish.

Advance Preparation

• •The morels may be cleaned and cooked in salted water up to 6 hours ahead. Dry them well, cover, and refrigerate; their butter toss and parsley finish must wait until serving.
• •The cooking butter may be clarified several days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Warm it only until fluid before frying.
• •The sole can be checked for bones, portioned, and refrigerated on a towel-lined tray earlier in the day. Do not season or flour it until the skillet is heating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)