Sole Française is a classic French dish that is both elegant and delicious. It consists of a pan-fried sole fillet topped with a rich and flavorful sauce made from butter, lemon juice, capers, and parsley. The delicate flavor of the sole pairs perfectly with the tangy sauce, creating a harmonious and unforgettable dish.
This article provides two variations of Sole Française: the classic version and a simplified version that uses fewer ingredients and is easier to make. Both recipes are explained in detail with step-by-step instructions and helpful tips to ensure success. Additionally, the article includes a section on how to choose the best sole fillets for this dish, as well as suggestions for side dishes that will complement the flavors of Sole Française.
Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner, you will find everything you need to know about making this classic French dish in this article. So grab your apron, gather your ingredients, and let's get cooking!
SOLE MEUNIèRE
The dish that made Julia Child fall in love with French cuisine, sole meunière highlights the simple flavors of fresh fish, butter, lemon and parsley. Fish is the center of the dish, so using a quality fillet is important: A true English Dover sole is preferred. Clarified butter, which takes a few extra minutes to prepare, can take on heat without browning, making it ideal for pan-frying fish. A classic sole meunière is made with a bone-in fillet, but boneless sole is faster and easier. You'll find a recipe for clarified butter here. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master. Buy the book.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, lunch, seafood, main course
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Heat oven to 200 degrees and place a large oven-safe plate or baking sheet inside.
- Place flour on a large, shallow plate. Season both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess.
- In a 12-inch nonstick or enamel-lined skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter until bubbling. Place half of the fish fillets in the pan and cook until just done, 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer to the plate or baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Add 2 more tablespoons clarified butter to skillet and heat until bubbling, then cook remaining fillets. Wipe out the skillet.
- Arrange the fish on a warm serving platter. Top with parsley. In reserved skillet, heat remaining 4 tablespoons unsalted butter until bubbling and golden, 1 to 2 minutes, then pour evenly over fillets. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 291, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 8 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 24 grams, SaturatedFat 11 grams, Sodium 335 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams
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.
CATHY'S SOLE FRANCAISE
My husband had this at a restaurant about a month ago and asked me to try and make it at home. So I made it tonight. He said he thought it was probably better than what he had at the restuarant... Gotta love him!!
Provided by Cathy LaFay
Categories Fish
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- 1. In a large non stick frying pan heat the olive oil.
- 2. Pass the fish thru the flour making sure to fully coat the fish and then pass it thru the egg until its fully coated.
- 3. Put the fish in the pan and saute in the oil until golden on the bottom and then flip it until the 2nd side is golden. (about 4-5 minutes each side)
- 4. When the fish is cooked I put it on a cookie sheet and put it in a heated oven (250 deg) to keep warm while the sauce makes.
- 5. Add white wine, butter,& lemon juice, (I didnt add any salt but if your not watching that add salt and pepper to taste) I whisked in about a tablespoon of the left over flour and let it simmer uncovered until liquid reduced and thickened. Drizzle over the fish.
- 6. I served it with rice but you can serve with vegetables too.
SOLE WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Categories main-dish
Time 20m
Yield 2 to 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Using a paper towel, dry the sole fillets very well. Season the fish evenly with 1 teaspoon salt. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. When the butter is fully melted and the bubbles have subsided, dredge both sides of 2 fillets in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and add the fish to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium high. Cook the fillets until beginning to brown around the edges on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a fish spatula, flip the fish gently and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove the fillets to a plate and continue with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter and fish.
- When all 4 fillets are cooked and out of the skillet, add the capers and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and stir, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer for about 2 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly. Finish the sauce by stirring in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, chili paste and oregano. Spoon the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
SOLE FRANCESE
Make and share this Sole Francese recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Hugce
Categories < 30 Mins
Time 20m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Heat olive oil and butter in non stick skillet over medium high heat.
- Dredge sole in flour.
- Mix eggs, parmesan and salt.
- Dip floured sole into egg batter and place in hot pan.
- Cook sole in batches being careful not to crowd in pan.
- Cook until nicely browned (1 1/2 minutes per side).
- Remove to oven safe platter and keep warm in oven.
- Repeat adding more oil and butter to pan as needed until all are cooked.
- When done, add lemon juice, garlic, marsala and corn starch to pan stirring until thickened.
- Place sauce over sole and cut up lemon and sprinkle over sole.
SOLE CASSEROLE WITH POTATOES
Make and share this Sole Casserole With Potatoes recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Boomette
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h20m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a saucepan not too deep, soften leek in butter 5 minutes, without letting them taking colors. Add spinach and wine. Cook until spinach are wilted.
- Add stock, cream and potatoes. Stir well. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover and cook in oven 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and put fish on potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Keep cooking uncovered 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
FAMOUS CHICKEN FRANCAISE
Chicken with lemon juice, egg, butter and garlic. C'est magnifique!
Provided by Paula Tomlinson
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Chicken Chicken Breast Recipes Skillet
Time 45m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the egg and juice of 1/2 lemon. In another shallow dish or bowl mix together the flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then flour mixture.
- Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden on each side.
- In a medium bowl, mix together broth and juice of 1 lemon, and pour mixture over chicken in skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 8 minutes. Place on serving platter, and garnish with fresh lemon slices and parsley sprigs.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 268.5 calories, Carbohydrate 21.4 g, Cholesterol 111.1 mg, Fat 6.7 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 31.6 g, SaturatedFat 3.1 g, Sodium 412.6 mg, Sugar 0.6 g
FILLETS OF SOLE FRANCESE AND LEMON-BASIL PASTA
Steps:
- Place a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook it to al dente; it should still have a bite to it. Heads up: you will need to use a ladleful of the starchy cooking liquid for the sauce before you drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, rinse and pat the fish dry, then season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with the half-and-half or milk. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter has melted and is hot, dip the fillets in the egg mixture, then transfer them to the skillet. Cook the fillets for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until deeply golden brown.
- While the fish cooks, zest the lemons. Heat the EVOO in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the lemon zest and garlic to the EVOO. Sweat the garlic for 2 minutes, then add the wine and reduce for 30 seconds. Add a ladle of the starchy pasta water and the juice of 1 of the lemons and reduce for 30 seconds more. Turn off the heat.
- When the fish is done, transfer it to serving plates and add the juice of the remaining lemon to the pan. Turn the heat off. Let the lemon juice combine with the pan juices, then spoon the juices over the fish.
- Drain the pasta well and add to the garlic-lemon-wine sauce. Add the basil and toss the pasta for 1 minute to absorb the flavors. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Serve the pasta alongside the fish garnished with cubes of plum tomato.
SOLE FRANCAISE
I have loved this dish since forever and I just recently found a wonderful version of it. I tweaked it a bit, and here it is!!
Provided by Shjya Instance
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 25m
Yield 2-4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Dust the fish with the flour.
- Dip the fish in the egg.
- Saute in the oil until golden on each side; drain excess oil.
- Add butter, white wine, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to half, about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
- (I use MUCH more lemon in my sauce because I love lemon, so if you like it- add more!).
Nutrition Facts : Calories 716.2, Fat 47.2, SaturatedFat 16.2, Cholesterol 334, Sodium 898.5, Carbohydrate 27.3, Fiber 0.9, Sugar 1.4, Protein 38
Tips:
- To ensure the best results, use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Fresh sole fillets, unsalted butter, and fresh lemon juice are essential for this recipe.
- Make sure the sole fillets are very thin, about 1/8-inch thick. This will help them cook quickly and evenly.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when cooking the sole fillets. Cook them in batches if necessary to prevent them from sticking together and steaming instead of searing.
- Be careful not to overcook the sole fillets. They should be cooked just until they are opaque and flaky. Overcooked sole will be tough and dry.
- Serve the sole fillets immediately with the lemon butter sauce. The sauce will continue to cook the fish slightly, so it's important to serve it right away.
Conclusion:
Cathy's Sole Francaise is a classic French dish that is easy to make and always impressive. The delicate flavor of the sole is perfectly complemented by the rich, buttery sauce. This dish is sure to be a hit at your next dinner party or special occasion meal.
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