Sole Meunière

Method

1. 01

   Dry the prepared fish

   Keep the prepared fish whole and pat both sides thoroughly dry. Check for loose scales or bone fragments. Warm two serving plates in an 80°C oven while preparing the beans.

   

2. 02

   Cook the green beans

   Bring 1.5 L water and 4 g salt to a boil. Cook green beans 6–8 minutes until tender but still intact. Drain well and keep warm; the lemon butter will season them at serving.

   

3. 03

   Dust with a thin flour coat

   Season both fish with the remaining 2 g salt and the pepper. Coat each side lightly in flour, then shake off excess. Discard flour that touched raw fish.

   

4. 04

   Pan-fry the first side

   Use two roomy skillets, dividing oil and the 30 g cooking butter between them. Heat over medium until foaming subsides, add one fish to each and cook 4–5 minutes until the underside is golden.

   

5. 05

   Turn and check doneness

   Turn with a broad fish spatula and cook 3–5 minutes more. Check thick flesh reaches 63°C away from the central bone and flakes easily. Transfer to the warm plates.

   

6. 06

   Make lemon brown butter

   In a clean small pan, melt the remaining 60 g butter over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until nutty and light brown. Remove from heat, carefully add 30 ml lemon juice and stir in half the parsley.

   

7. 07

   Sauce and serve promptly

   Arrange beans beside the fish. Spoon lemon butter over both, add the remaining parsley and one lemon slice per plate. Serve immediately, removing the central bone and any small bones carefully before eating.