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Sole meunière — sole with brown butter, lemon and parsley
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/sole-meuniere-sole-with-brown-butter-lemon-and-parsley
About this recipe
Sole meunière is a French dish of sole lightly dusted with flour, pan-fried and served with brown butter. This home version uses thin fillets without skin or bones, making the fish easy to cook in an ordinary skillet. Ready-made clarified butter is used for frying, while fresh butter is browned separately until golden and nutty. This helps keep the sole delicate and prevents the milk solids from burning as successive batches cook. A small, weighed amount of flour forms a thin coating, without a thick breading. Lemon juice and chopped parsley go into the sauce after it comes off the heat. All the butter sauce and fish juices are served. These quantities make four portions of two fillets with sauce, without extra potatoes, vegetables or bread. Serve the dish as soon as the fish is cooked.
Ingredients
Sole fillets and frying
600 g raw common sole fillets (Solea solea), without skin or bones, about 8 thin fillets, 0.5–1 cm thick
20 g type 550 wheat flour for a light dusting
30 g ready-made clarified butter, with 15 g for each batch of fish
6 g salt
0.5 g ground black pepper
Brown butter, lemon and parsley
60 g unsalted butter with 82% fat
40 g freshly squeezed lemon juice, without seeds or peel
10 g fresh parsley, washed and dried
Steps
Check that the fillets have no bones and pat them very thoroughly dry with paper towels. Distribute all the salt and pepper over both sides of the fish. Finely chop the parsley, weigh out all the lemon juice and dice the regular butter. Have ready a wide skillet about 28 cm in diameter, a small saucepan with a light-colored interior, a warm serving platter and four plates. Leave the fillets laid flat; do not roll them up.
Divide the fish into two similar batches of about four fillets each. Just before frying the first batch, distribute 10 g flour thinly over both sides, preferably through a small sieve. Do not dredge the fish in a large extra quantity of flour. Reserve the remaining 10 g for the second batch, dusting it only just before it goes into the skillet. All the weighed flour is intended for the fillets, without a thick layer or a separate tray full of leftovers.
AI-generated Heat 15 g clarified butter in the skillet over medium heat. Lay in the first four fillets in a single layer, without overlapping. Fry for about 2–3 minutes, until lightly golden underneath, then carefully turn with a wide spatula and fry for about another 1–2 minutes, depending on thickness. The fish should be cooked through its full thickness, and its delicate flakes should separate easily. Transfer to the warm platter and cover loosely. Add the remaining 15 g clarified butter, dust the second batch with the remaining flour and fry in the same way. Do not let the fat smoke or the residue burn. Pour all the remaining fat and juices from the skillet onto the platter.
AI-generated When the second batch of fish is almost ready, put all the regular butter into a clean saucepan with a light-colored interior. Heat over medium heat for about 3–5 minutes, gently swirling the pan. The butter will foam first, then golden-brown specks will appear on the bottom with a pleasant nutty aroma. Immediately take the saucepan off the heat at this point. Do not wait for a dark brown color or smoke; the specks must not turn black.
AI-generated Wait a little over ten seconds after taking the saucepan off the heat. Carefully pour in all the lemon juice, keeping the pan away from your face because the hot butter may foam strongly and splatter. Add all the parsley and stir gently. Do not strain the sauce: the golden-brown butter specks are part of its flavor. Use all the juices and clarified butter from the fish platter too, dividing them among the portions with the sauce.
Divide the fish among four plates, with two fillets per portion. Pour over all the brown butter with lemon and parsley, along with the juices from the platter. Serve immediately while the fillets are hot and the thin coating is still lightly golden. If there are leftovers, cool them quickly, transfer to a closed container and refrigerate until the next day at the latest. Reheat gently until hot throughout, allowing for a less crisp coating.
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