Sole meunière is heavenly – slightly crispy, dripping with brown butter and infused with lemon and parsley. For all its flavor of citrus, butter and fresh parsley, sole meunière is so simple to prepare at home, and like all of the most nourishing dishes, it s its very simplicity that is so appealing. And everything, everything, is better dripping with butter.
Sole meunière is a simple dish. Indeed, it simply means fish prepared in the style of the miller’s wife – that is, dredged in flour. While all-purpose flour is typically used to prepare sole meunière, I prefer mine dredged in nut flour – hazelnut flour or even a combination of almond and hazelnut flour produces remarkable results and the combination of nut flour with browned butter is lovely.
This dish nourishes the body just as it provides satisfaction to the palate. Sole is rich in b vitamins – particularly, niacin and the vitamins B6 and B12. It is also a good source of phosphorus and, like most seafoods, selenium. The addition of grass-fed butter provides even more nourishment including conjugated linoleic acid – a fatty acid found in the meat and butterfat of ruminant animals. Recent research has found that this wholesome fat holds strong anti-oxidant activity and may offer anti-carcinogenic properties; moreover, it may be linked to a reduction in adipose tissue – that is, belly fat. While all milk and beef offer CLA in their fat, it is only present in abundance in the meat and milk of grass-fed ruminants like cows, goats and sheep.
Lastly this dish is seasoned with fresh lemon and parsley which offer a wonderful brightness and punch of vibrant, clean flavor to the rich, nut-like flavor of browned butter.
Sole Meunière
Sole meunière is a lovely simple dish, rich with the flavor of browned butter, fresh parsley and lemon. It’s easily prepared in under fifteen minutes, and excellent served with a salad of frisée on the side.
Sole Meunière: Ingredients
- 4 filets of Dover sole, about 4 ounces each
- 1/2 cup flour, any will do, but I prefer sprouted flour (see sources) or nut flour
- about 6 tablespoons butter or ghee (see sources), divided
- juice and zest of three lemons
- about 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh curly parsley, minced
- additional lemon, to serve
- unrefined sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Sole Meunière: Method
- Dredge the filets in flour until well-coated.
- Heat 4 tablespoons butter or ghee in a cast iron skillet over a medium flame until the butter begins to foam and brown (this foaming process will not occur if you’re using ghee or clarified butter).
- Reduce heat to medium-low, then place the floured filets of sole into the hot butter and fry on each side about two minutes.
- Remove the fish from the skillet and plate them.
- Heat additional two tablespoons butter in the skillet until melted, then add lemon zest, lemon juice and minced parsley to the skillet whisking together to combine for about one minute.
- Pour sauce over the fish, season with salt and pepper and garnish with lemon wedges.
YIELD: Four servings.
TIME: About fifteen minutes.
What a wonderful simple dish! A great way to enjoy some of that good-for-you butter!
Beautiful and yum. Did you get a new camera, Jenny? Your pictures are even more beautiful than ever!
I did get a new camera, Shannon! Nice eye! It’s a Nikon D90 and I love it, though I’m just now getting used to its features. Prior to this I’d used a Coolpix point-and-shoot.
I have eyed this dish for months. It looks so delicious.
I wish I could make this, NOW.
Mmmmm. I had needed a new fish recipe for some Friday visitors (we’re Catholic and eat no meat on Fridays)–this is PERFECT. I’ve been craving lemon and wanting to use the herbs from my garden too. Thanks! Lovely pictures!
I’m going out tomorrow to buy the missing ingredients. The nut flour is a tasty-sounding secret! I’m not a huge fish fan (I know, I know, gotta get over that one), but this dish just might make me a believer!
I wish we had a good fish market here! Do you know of any good online sources, or a site that lists local markets? Maybe there’s one I’ve missed…
I’ve used vital choice quite a bit – they don’t sell sole but they do sell shellfish, salmon, roe, halibut and other goodies. I’m not familiar with too many fish markets (live too far away from the ocean), so I wouldn’t be able to offer much more than the vital choice recommendation.
This was delicious. Used the wild caught Mahi Mahi from Costco. Dredged in ground almonds (after being soaked and dried). Served with the Sweet and Savory Kale from the Allrecipes website (reduce sugar). Gourmet dining!!!
This looks absolutely fantastic! THanks for sharing. And beautiful photos too – getting a new camera and learning to use light makes such a difference doesn’t it? Kim | http://www.affairsofliving.com
Looks incredibly good!
I just found out I can’t have dairy — is olive oil the best substitute for the butter? (I know, butter is much better in this – sigh.)
Gracie –
If you’re lactose- or casein-intolerant, there’s a good chance you can still consume ghee which is pure butterfat without the milk solids. Many people who are otherwise dairy-intolerant consume ghee with no ill effects. That would be my first recommendation followed by pasture-raised bacon fat or lard. Olive oil isn’t the best choice for the dish because the heat is too high and the smooth, unctuous quality of a good saturated fat helps with the flavor of the dish and texture of the sauce.
I second the opinion on the great pictures! Good choice with the D-90. I have one of the upper-end Nikon D series and it gets the job done. Had a D-70 for a long time that finally gave up the ghost (the card socket seemed to be loose and not want to hold the cards anymore).
This looks yummy and so EASY! I can’t believe it’s only 2 minutes per side. But then again I am clueless with fish since my mom never made it when I was growing up (the occasional tuna salad or fish stick doesn’t count!). I think I overcook fish, so I haven’t tried to fix it in years. But this looks pretty foolproof.
Great recipe and great online course!
TrailGrrl
I just bought some ghee. How do I store it once I’ve opened the jar?
TrailGrrl
Ghee is stable at room temperature – it can be kept at room temperature in your cupboard or on your counter. Since the milk solids have been removed, it won’t go bad.
This is one of my all time favorite dishes. You explained it all so well and presented a great post. Love your site.
My 18-month-old keeps pointing at the pictures of this dish and saying “Eat! Eat!’ Hmm…I’m meal planning today….
This sounds delicious. Will use a diffrent fish but excited to try it! Thanks!
Wait, Jenny, are you kidding? You used a Coolpix for those amazing photos? I’m speechless. My Canon 30D doesn’t even look as good. Ah, a mechanic should never blame her tools. You, my friend, are an artiste (said with French flair)!
Do you think Coconut flour would work for this? It’s the only type of flour I keep on hand…
I don’t know either, Beth… but I will be trying it tonight with coconut flour. I’ll post the results this evening.
Our house is grain-free, so we have limited options also.
In preparation for a trip to Seattle, I have been reading “The Pike Place Public Market Seafood Cookbook.” It indicates that fish can be overnight shipped from fish stalls there.
We had cod for lunch before I read your luscious recipe. Will enjoy it with our next fish entree. As always…thank you so much for all that you provide. You are an invaluable resource for me as I learn new ways of being healthier than I have been in years.
According to Julia Child in My Life in France, this is the first French meal she had upon arriving in France and it was her epiphany! The rest of course is history!
This looks fantastic! Would it work with almond flour?
Made this for dinner tonight. Yummy! Not a big caper fan. I liked your version better without the capers.