sole for your weeknight soul

a platter of fish

This is a quick variation on a piccata.  At least that is what I’m going with.  It has the basic lemons, capers and a splash of wine.  I love this meal because it feels really special but is one of the speediest of weeknight meals.  Monday is “fresh fish” day at the co-op, find out which day the fish comes in at your favorite market.

Sole, flounder, or whatever fish you can find but this recipe works best with the thin little fillets from sole or small flounders.  The pictures here are actually line caught flounders from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch program Pacific flounder are a better choice to the Atlantic variety.  Another bonus is that these beauties are an economical choice.

Weeknight Sole

• 1 lb (500g) sole or other thin bottom fish
• salt and pepper
• all-purpose flour or your favorite
• Neutral oil for the pan, something appropriate for high heat like canola or grapeseed
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 small shallot, minced or 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 lemon, cut in half lenthwise. Cut one half into wedges to serve at the table, slice the other half into thin half-moons
• 1-2 Tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp butter, optional
• fresh herbs, if you have would make a great addition at the end, I used a few snippets of chives here, snipped by a youngster

Method in photos:

Lay the fillets out and season with salt and pepper.  Give them a light dusting with flour before they hit the pan.

Preheat the oven to warm and set a serving platter in there so that it will warm up and give you a place to fling the freshly sautéed fish.

Heat a pan over moderately high heat, add about a tablespoon of neutral oil to the pan.

In batches, sauté the fillets carefully flipping after a minute or two.  When the fish is lightly browned it should be ready to flip over, cook the first side a little longer and the second side less.  Keep the pan hot, a hotter pan will prevent sticking.  Give the pan a gentle shake every so often, that will keep the fish from adhering to the pan.  If it does stick, give the pan a little more heat.  That should create a better crust that will help with the release.  Do be cautious because burnt fish is not that tasty.  A thin metal spatula is a great tool for this cooking method.  As each batch is finished move them to the warm platter in the oven.

After all the fish is finished cooking, add the minced shallot, or garlic to the pan, allow that to cook, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Deglaze the pan with a healthy spash of white wine or dry vermouth.  Scrape up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the capers and lemon slices and cook for a minute or two, until the lemon starts to break down and the wine has reduced by about half.  Add a tablespoon of butter to make the sauce a little smoother, but this step is not necessary.  Taste the sauce and season as necessary.

Pour the sauce over the fish and serve.  I prefer to serve over a platter of mashed potatoes (making it comfort food), but rice or pasta would also be fine accompaniments.

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Tagged as: capers, fish, lemon