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Sole meunière
Sole in browned butter
Sole meunière: Normandy and Paris sole fried in foaming butter with lemon and parsley
Sole meunière, "in the style of the miller's wife", is the fish dish of old Paris brasseries and Normandy seaside restaurants, served on Fridays and for special lunches with boiled potatoes. The sole is dusted in flour and cooked in foaming butter until golden, then bathed in nutty browned butter with lemon juice and parsley. The common mistake is a pan that is too crowded or not hot enough, so the flour turns soggy instead of crisp. Chef's tip: cook the fish in clarified butter or butter with a little oil, then make a fresh batch of browned butter for the sauce; it stays golden, not burnt.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 2 Dover sole or lemon sole, skinned and trimmedabout 400 g each
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 oz butterfor frying
- 1 ¾ oz butterfor the sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 2 lemon wedgesto serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pat the 2 Dover sole or lemon sole, skinned and trimmed dry, season with ½ tsp salt and 1 pinch ground white pepper and dust both sides with the 1 ⅜ oz plain flour, shaking off the excess.
3 minStep 2: Heat the 1 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until foaming. Lay in the fish, white side down, and cook for 4 minutes until golden, then turn and cook 3–4 minutes more. The flesh is done when it is opaque and lifts easily off the bone with a knife.
8 minStep 3: Move the fish to warm plates and wipe the pan with kitchen paper.
1 minStep 4: Melt the 1 ¾ oz butter in the pan over a medium heat until it foams and turns hazelnut brown and smells nutty. Take off the heat, add the 1 tbsp lemon juice (it will sizzle) and the 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
2 minStep 5: Spoon the sauce over the fish at once and serve with 2 lemon wedges and boiled potatoes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sole meunière take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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