Pan-Fried Sole with Lemon Butter (French Sole Meuniére)

Sole meunière (aka sole à la meunière) is a classic French fish dish consisting of sole, preferably whole (gray skin removed) or fillet, that is dredged in flour, pan-fried in butter and served with the resulting brown butter sauce, parsley and lemon. Very popular at the court of King Louis XIV, the sole is one of the dishes in French cuisine considered as "noble" fish. The term "meunière" refers to the miller (meunièr), the artisan manufacturing wheat flour, because the sole is coated with flour before being cooked. Classic bistro cooking at its best, sole meuniére maintains a balance between nutty brown butter and the lilt of lemon. A simple dish with a complex taste. You don’t need fancy preparations to get an awesome result, especially when it comes to fish. Julia Child claims she had an epiphany in Rouen that changed her, and the world because of it. This is what she said about her first experience eating sole meuniére. "I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection."

Sole:
8 (4 oz) filets of sole, skinless and boneless
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
4 Tbsp. clarified butter or ghee
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached

Sauce:
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 lemon, freshly juiced

Garnish:
fresh parsley, chopped

For the Sole:
Layout and pat dry the fillets. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a Tbsp. of clarified butter in a skillet large enough to hold two fillets over medium heat.

Dredge the fillets in the flour on both sides and gently shake to remove any excess.

Place the fillets in the butter and brown about 1-2 minutes per side. Taking care when you flip them, use a spatula, they are very delicate.

Set on a warm plate and repeat until all the fillets are cooked. Adding in butter and wiping out the pan as necessary.

For the Sauce:
Melt the unsalted butter in the pan and just as it is browning, Add in the lemon juice. (note this will splatter quite a bit).

Assembly:
Plate the fillets and pour the lemon butter sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley and serve right away.

Makes 4 servings.

What to drink: A white wine, like a Sancerre.

For dessert: Kouign-amann, a deliciously caramelized specialty from Brittany.