How To Cook Lemon Sole Food

HOW TO COOK LEMON SOLE

Steps:

• Buy sole fillets with moist flesh and a mild scent. Avoid fillets that have a strong, fishy odor. They should look freshly cut. For the best results, cook the fillets immediately. If you can't cook them right away, store the sole for up to 2 days in the coldest part of your fridge. Frozen sole fillets should also smell mild. Look for frozen fillets that are tightly packaged. Make sure there's no visible ice or blood. Store frozen sole fillets in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Dry the fillets gently with a paper towel. Excess moisture on the fish can cause the flour coating to clump up. Before you coat the sole fillets with flour, gently pat both sides of each fillet with a paper towel.
• Place the flour on a large plate. Measure out ¼ cup (30 g) of all-purpose flour and spread it evenly over the surface of a large plate or dish. Choose a plate or dish that is large enough to easily accommodate the length of your sole fillets. A large serving platter would work great for this.
• Season the sole fillets with the kosher salt. Measure out ½ teaspoon (2 g) of kosher salt. Working with 1 fillet at a time, sprinkle the salt on each side. Continue doing this until you've seasoned all 4 of the fillets.
• Coat both sides of each fillet with the flour. Place 1 fillet flat on the flour-covered plate. Pick the fillet up and lay it down on the other side. Shake the fillet gently to remove any excess flour. Place the flour-coated fillets on a clean plate and set them aside for now.
• Melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) of butter in a large skillet. Use a stainless steel or a cast iron skillet. Turn the burner to medium and place the skillet on top of it. Allow the butter to melt until it coats the bottom of the skillet.
• Slice the lemon and cook the slices for 2 minutes. Trim both ends off the lemon but leave the lemon peel intact. Slice the lemon into 12 thin circles. Lightly brown the lemon pieces in the skillet, stirring them occasionally as they cook. You may need 2 lemons if yours are very small.
• Add the fillets to the skillet and cook the first side for 2 minutes. Push the browned lemon pieces to the side of the skillet, then lay the fillets flat at the bottom of the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches.
• Flip over the fillets with a spatula and cook for another 2 minutes. You'll know the fillets are fully cooked when the flesh is a uniform color throughout. The fillets should flake easily when they're ready to be taken out of the skillet. If you're working in batches, place the cooked fillets aside on a clean plate and repeat the process with the remaining pieces.
• Add 2 tablespoons (23.3 g) of capers and the rest of the butter to the skillet. Stir the ingredients together but leave the browned lemon pieces to the side or transfer them to a clean plate. Remove the skillet from the heat and turn off the burner. Grab the skillet handle and tilt it so that the butter swirls around the bottom and melts. The butter should melt within 30 seconds or so.
• Plate the fillets and spoon the butter sauce over them. Add 1 fillet to each serving plate. Spoon or ladle an equal amount of the butter and caper mixture over each fillet, drizzling the sauce from end to end.
• Top each fillet with 1-2 browned lemon slices and serve the dish. Use the remaining lemon slices as garnish for each plate. Serve the sole fillets right away -- they're best enjoyed while hot. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and consume them within 3-4 days.

EASY PAN FRIED SOLE FISH WITH LEMON-BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the flour with seasoned salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
• Dredge the fish fillets in the flour mixture.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat.
• Add in about 3 tablespoons butter to the hot skillet.
• Saute the fillets in 2 batches, cooking on each side (on high heat about 2 minutes per side) or until just cooked through; transfer the fish to a plate to keep warm.
• Add in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook until golden in colour; add in lemon juice, bring to a boil and add in the parsley.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Pour the warm sauce over the fish.
• Serve immediately.

LEMON SOLE MEUNIèRE

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes in salted water. Put some stems of parsley and dill in the boiling water. The parsley and dill will add lovely flavours to the potatoes.
• When the potatoes are tender, drain the water and put the hot potatoes into a bowl. Add some butter (25 g) and let the butter melt in the hot potatoes. Add some chopped dill and a pinch of salt and coat the potatoes in the melted butter.
• Make a short cut with a knife along the backbone on the thickest part of the lemon sole. This will help the flesh cook evenly. (There are instructions on how to prepare a lemon sole in the video above.)
• Dredge the lemon sole in flour on both sides and dust off any excess flour. Heat the pan with some oil and fry the sole on a medium heat.
• Start with the flesh side. The lemon sole needs about 3 minutes on each side. When the first side has a golden crust, turn the fish. Add a nice knob of butter (25 g) and baste the fish with melted butter while frying.
• When the fish is done transfer it onto a plate. Sprinkle with salt and let it rest while you make the browned butter sauce.
• Add the rest of the butter to the hot pan and let it melt and brown. Swirl the butter until it is light brown in colour and has a nutty smell. But be careful not to let it burn.
• Take the pan off the heat. Add the juice of half a lemon, this will also stop the butter cooking. Add the capers and some chopped parsley and a pinch of salt.
• Pour the browned butter sauce over the lemon sole and serve with the potatoes on the side.

EASY SOLE MEUNIERE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Have 2 heat-proof dinner plates ready
• Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

LEMON SOLE

Steps:

• 1. Season sole with salt, fold into thirds with lemon on top. Place wine in a large, lidded skillet over meduim heat. Arrange in skillet.
• 2. Bring wine to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer gently until fish is opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes. With a spatula, transfer fish to serving plates.
• 3. Return liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon juice; remove from heat. Whisk in butter until smooth. Season with salt; pour over fish; garnish with fresh parsley

GRILLED LEMON SOLE WITH LEMONGRASS BUTTER

Steps:

• First make the lemongrass butter: put everything into a food processor and season well with black pepper.
• Blend until smooth, then spoon the mixture into the centre of a large sheet of clingfilm, shape into a roll 4cm/1½in thick, wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer until firm.
• When the butter is firm, preheat the grill to high.
• Trim the fins and tails of the fish with kitchen scissors.
• Brush the fish on both sided with the melted butter and season with a little salt and pepper.
• Depending on the size of your grill, cook them 1 or 2 at time, dark side up, on a buttered baking tray or the rack of a grill pan for 4½-5 minutes.
• Keep warm while you cook the rest.
• Unwrap the lemongrass butter and slice into thin rounds and serve on top of the fish.

BAKED LEMON SOLE WITH LEMON & CAPER PASTE

Steps:

• First, make the caper paste. Blend the ingredients in a blender or small food processor for 2 mins until you have a smooth-ish purée (if using a food processor, you might need to scrape down the sides once or twice with a spatula). Transfer to a small bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge until needed. Can be made 2 days ahead and chilled.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Scatter the lemon zest, lemon thyme and shallots onto a baking tray or ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the fish lightly with salt and put it on top of the shallots, skin-side up. Place pieces of butter on each fish and pour in 200ml water - this will steam the fish and keep it juicy.
• Put the fish and the prepared tray of potatoes (see recipe in Goes well with) in the oven at the same time and bake both for 10 mins, basting the fish halfway through. While the fish cooks, wilt the greens (see recipe in Goes well with) and take the caper paste out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
• Take the fish out of the oven and baste it one last time, then use a cook's blowtorch to char the skin, if you like. Transfer the fish to a serving plate with some of the shallots and lemon zest. Spoon a little of the caper paste over the fish and serve immediately with the new potatoes and wilted spring greens.

PAN-SAUTEED SOLE

Steps:

• Season fish fillets with salt; dust with Wondra flour. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Add fish. Cook for 1 minute. Flip, add lemon slices, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes more until opaque.

SOLE MEUNIèRE

Steps:

• Check the fish for small bones and pull any out with tweezers. In a large shallow bowl, season the flour with a little salt and black pepper. Toss the fish in the flour, coating well, and shake off any excess.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the fish and cook, skin-side down, for 2 mins. Use a fish slice or large spatula to turn, then cook the other side for 1-2 mins until golden.
• Remove the fish to a warmed plate, then season. Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper. Return the pan to the heat, then add the butter. Heat until it melts and begins to turn a light brown, then mix in the lemon juice and capers, if using. Swirl in the pan for a few secs, return fish to the pan and spoon over any juices. Serve immediately.