Sole Meunière (Fish in Butter Sauce)

Sole Meunière

This simple meal includes crisp, fried fish bathed in a butter sauce and infused with parsley and lemon. The light sauce is tart and savory but never overwhelms the flavor of the tender and simply prepared fish— only the freshest sole is used for this recipe. Refined and classic, sole meunière is a fish dish associated with the rustic cuisine of rural France. Both the process of dredging the fish in flour and the accompanying butter sauce are considered à la meunière, or, "in the style of the Miller’s wife." Recipe Servings: Serves 2

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Kosher

Halal

Ingredients

Fish
1/2 cup (60 g) flour
4 sole fillets, rinsed and dried
Coarse kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
2 Tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter
Sauce
1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 parts
2 Tbsp (8 g) chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
lemon wedges

Directions

Fish
Spread the flour in an even layer on a plate.
Season each fillet of fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
Dredge each fillet in a thin layer of flour, shaking off any loose flour.
Heat the oil in a frying pan until it begins to bubble. Add the butter to the pan and swirl it through the oil.
When the foam from the butter dissolves, add the coated fish and fry each fillet until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Set aside in a warm spot.
Sauce
In another frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until golden.
Turn the heat off. Add parsley and lemon juice to the pan and stir.
To serve, pour the sauce over the fish and accompany it with a lemon wedge.