Filets de Soles Orly

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart heavy pot or Dutch oven
• •Clip-on deep-fry thermometer
• •Long-handled spider or wire skimmer
• •Splatter screen
• •Rimmed tray fitted with a wire rack
• •1½-quart saucepan
• •Immersion blender and fine-mesh sieve
• •Warm oval platter and small sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the sauce tomate

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and a pinch of the salt, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes until supple and lightly golden, without scorching. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, add the flour, and cook for another minute to make the roux, the butter-and-flour foundation. Whisk in the fish stock gradually, then add the tomatoes, garlic, bouquet garni, a pinch of white pepper, and the sugar only if the tomatoes taste sharply acidic. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring along the bottom, then discard the bouquet garni and garlic. Blend until smooth and pass through a fine sieve. Hold the sauce hot enough to gleam but below a boil.

   If the sauce tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of stock. If it remains watery, return it to the pan and reduce it uncovered. Ça se rattrape.
2. 2

   Make the pâte à frire

   Whisk the cup of flour with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the sparkling water and tablespoon of oil, then pour this into the flour and mix only until no dry pockets remain. A few small lumps are harmless; beating the batter smooth develops gluten and makes the coating tough. Rest it for 15 minutes. Just before frying, beat the egg white to soft peaks and fold it gently into the batter so the pâte à frire stays light.

3. 3

   Prepare the service

   Set a wire rack over a rimmed tray for draining. Warm an oval platter and a small sauceboat, then line the platter with a clean folded cotton napkin. The rack does the real draining; the napkin belongs to the classical presentation and should arrive clean, not soaked with fat. Pour the sauce tomate into the sauceboat only when the fish is ready.

4. 4

   Choose the classical form

   For the principal Orly preparation, continue with the pâte à frire. The source also preserves two alternate forms. For the first, dip the fillets in milk, dredge them with the reserved flour, and thread them loosely on plain metal skewers in place of the ornamental hatelet. For the second, marinate the fillets for 10 minutes in fully cooled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), drain and dry them thoroughly, coat them with Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), cover with fine breadcrumbs, and twist them into loose corkscrews secured with wooden picks. Fry either alternate form at the same temperature used below. These are separate routes, not extra layers beneath the batter.

5. 5

   Heat the frying fat

   Pour the frying oil into a deep, heavy pot, filling it no more than one-third, and heat it to 365°F (185°C). Keep a thermometer clipped where it measures the oil rather than the pot floor. Season the dry sole fillets with the remaining salt and white pepper only when the oil is ready. Very hot fat is the principle of Orly: it sets the coating instantly, protects the fish, and prevents the batter from drinking oil.

6. 6

   Coat and fry

   Dip four fillets into the pâte à frire, coating them completely, and let the excess fall back into the bowl. Lower them into the oil one at a time, away from you, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until the batter is evenly golden and crisp and the fish inside is opaque. Lift them onto the rack and let the oil recover fully before frying the second batch. Never crowd the pot; too many fillets collapse the temperature and turn a clean crust heavy.

   If the first fillet emerges pale and greasy, let the oil reach 375°F (190°C), then return that fillet for 20 to 30 seconds. Ça se rattrape. If the coating slides away before frying, blot the fish again, dust it very lightly with flour, and recoat.
7. 7

   Fry the parsley

   Skim loose batter from the oil and return it to 355°F (180°C). Make certain the parsley is completely dry. Lower a few sprigs at a time with a long-handled skimmer, stand back from the crackling, and set a splatter screen over the pot until it subsides. Fry for 5 to 10 seconds, just until the leaves turn crisp and deep green, then drain them on the rack and season with a small pinch of salt. Damp parsley and hot fat are a dangerous quarrel, so never put a wet bunch into the pot.

8. 8

   Serve sauce apart

   Spread the fried parsley across the napkin-lined platter and arrange the fillets over it in a generous overlapping row. Bring the sauce tomate beside the fish, never poured over it in advance. The contrast is the dish: crisp batter, tender sole, brittle parsley, and smooth tomato sauce added by each person at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose thin, evenly sized sole fillets so they finish before the batter darkens. Fish sold as sole may be a related flatfish, depending on your market; a careful fry matters more than a grand label.
• •Use a thermometer. A breadcrumb can tell you that oil is hot, but it cannot tell you whether the temperature has fallen forty degrees after the first batch. Controlled heat is the whole technique.
• •Good canned tomatoes are the honest choice when fresh tomatoes are wan. Reduce them properly, pass the sauce smooth, and serve it separately. That accompaniment is not optional.
• •The alternate forms belong to the source, but the battered preparation is the direct Orly method. Do not combine marinade, breadcrumbs, milk, and batter into one armored fillet. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.
• •Serve with a dry Loire Muscadet or another lean, mineral white wine. Its acidity clears the fried crust and leaves the tomato sauce tasting bright.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce tomate can be made up to 2 days ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated over gentle heat. Loosen it with a spoonful of stock if it thickens in the cold.
• •Wash the parsley several hours ahead and dry it thoroughly between towels, then leave the sprigs uncovered in the cold. Its surface must be completely dry before frying.
• •Measure the batter ingredients and separate the egg earlier in the day, but mix the pâte à frire only about 20 minutes before cooking. Fold in the whipped white at the final moment.
• •The sole may be trimmed and checked for bones a few hours ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then pat it dry and season only when the frying oil is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)