Dover sole with lime and ginger
Posted on 10th February 2022 at 19:50
This Dover sole recipe makes for a great weeknight dinner as it's easy to prepare, quick to cook and super tasty. Dover sole is best eaten when in season and benefits from simple cooking to let the Dover sole shine through.
For when Dover sole isn’t in season or if Tristan hasn’t caught many that week, any sweet, meaty white fish, such as hake, cod and John Dory, would make a good alternative. To add to the seasonality, choose greens that complement the Dover sole and are in season; our top picks are samphire or asparagus.
Dover Sole is the richest of the sole fish with a meatier taste and can stand up to stronger flavours than most flatfish. Dover sole is the perfect fish for a treat night: its firm flesh lifts away from bones easily making it a fuss-free fish dinner. We love using Dover sole with strong flavours such as woody herbs, chorizo and ginger.
Ingredients
4 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp chilli powder
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Dover sole, scaled, cleaned, trimmed and dark skin removed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red chillies, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
300g samphire
140g unsalted butter
50g fresh root ginger, chopped
4 tbsp lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Cooking your Dover sole
Preheat the oven to 200°C /180 Fan.
Combine the flour and chilli powder with some salt and pepper in a bowl, then coat the Dover sole with the mixture, gently shaking off any excess.
Heat a large, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot lay the sole into the pan (white skin side down if you’ve part-skinned them). TOP TIP: lie the sole away from you so as to avoid spitting from the oil.
Fry the Dover sole, without moving them, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the coating forms a golden-brown crust.
Turn the fish over to the other side and transfer the frying pan to the top of the hot oven (or transfer the fish to a warmed baking tray and place in the oven)
Cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes, or until the Dover sole fillets are cooked through.
While the Dover sole cooks, heat another frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the red chillies and garlic to the pan. Once they are sizzling add the samphire and cook for 2–3 mins.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in another frying pan over a medium heat, and let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it turns a nut-brown colour.
Reduce the heat to low, then add the ginger, lime juice and chopped coriander. Warm everything through but don’t overheat the sauce or it will separate. Season to taste.
Serve the Dover sole on a bed of samphire and spoon the sauce over the top. Best served with a side of new potatoes.
Cheers ‘N’ Garn
Tagged as: dover sole
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