Lemon sole with brown butter sauce

Once you get your whole lemon sole home you will need to prepare it, if you ask nicely, we may be able to do this for you so it is ready to go. But if you prefer to prepare your lemon sole yourself here are some instructions. 

1. Using a sharp knife remove the head of the fish by following the line of the gills, so you are left with the classic V shaped top of the fish. 

2. Using sharp scissors remove the dorsal fins and the tail fin. 

3. Using a sharp fish filleting knife remove the grey skin of the fish. To do this make an incision at the tail end and pull the skin away from the body as your knife follows the body of the fish. 

4. For a full video walkthrough on how to do this click here.Lemon sole with a brown butter sauce is a classic French dish for a simple and delicious fish dinner. In France it is called Lemon sole meunière. The meunière refers to the history of the fish and basically means “miller’s wife”, this makes reference to how a miller’s wife might have served fish coated in flour. 

This dish could be done with almost any sole fish or even many other flat fish species such as plaice and dover sole. We have served it with new potatoes as a classic accompaniment but you could also add some seasonal greens such as asparagus, stem broccoli or French beans. 

• 1 whole large lemon sole (or two whole smaller ones). 

• Plain flour for dredging (approximately 4 tbsp) 

• 400 g of new potatoes 

• Salt 

• Oil for frying 

• 100 g of butter 

• A small bunch of fresh parsley 

• A small bunch of fresh dill 

• The zest of one lemon 

• 2 tablespoons of capers 

Once you get your whole lemon sole home you will need to prepare it, if you ask nicely, we may be able to do this for you so it is ready to go. But if you prefer to prepare your lemon sole yourself here are some instructions. 

 

1. Using a sharp knife remove the head of the fish by following the line of the gills, so you are left with the classic V shaped top of the fish. 

2. Using sharp scissors remove the dorsal fins and the tail fin. 

3. Using a sharp fish filleting knife remove the grey skin of the fish. To do this make an incision at the tail end and pull the skin away from the body as your knife follows the body of the fish. 

4. For a full video walkthrough on how to do this click here. 

Boil your new potatoes in salted water with a sprinkle of dill and parsley for flavour. 

2. Dredge the lemon sole by coating it in the flour. 

3. Melt half the butter in a pan on a medium heat and add a little oil to stop it burning. 

4. Add the fish to the pan flesh/skinless side down, cook for around 3 minutes or until the underside is a light golden. Then add another knob of butter, flip the fish over and cook for a further 3 minutes, basting the fish with butter like you would a steak. 

5. Once the fish is cooked move it to a plate to rest and sprinkle with sea salt. 

6. In the pan add the rest of the butter, the lemon zest and the capers. The butter should have a light brown colour and a nutty smell, be careful not to burn the butter. Once brown and nutty remove from the heat, and add the parsley and dill with a pinch of salt. 

7. Pour the butter sauce over the fish and serve with the new potatoes, pop a little knob of butter on top of the potatoes to complete the picture.