Sole Meunière: A Classic French Dish Made Simple

Elevate your dinner with this exquisite Sole Meunière recipe. This timeless French delicacy transforms delicate fish fillets into a buttery, lemony masterpiece that’s sure to impress.

Sole Meunière is the epitome of simplicity meeting elegance. With its origins in French cuisine, this dish showcases the beauty of letting high-quality ingredients shine. The name ‘meunière’ translates to ‘miller’s wife,’ referring to the light dusting of flour that gives the fish its golden crust.

While traditional recipes call for Dover sole, don’t let that limit you. Any thin, white-fleshed fillet can star in this dish. Lemon sole, grey sole, flounder, or even thin fillets of haddock or branzino can work beautifully. The key is to choose a fish that’s lean and delicate, allowing the brown butter sauce to take center stage.

Sole Meunière

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour, for dredging (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds (680g) thin boneless, skinless sole or other white-fleshed fish fillets (see notes)
• Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (60g) homemade or store-bought clarified butter, plus more if needed (see notes)
• 6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, plus more for serving
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (1/4 ounce; 8g) flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

Directions

1. Prepare your mise en place: Spread flour on a wide, shallow plate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season fish fillets generously with salt. Dredge each fillet in flour, shaking off excess, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons (30g) clarified butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add fish fillets presentation-side down. Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, until just opaque. Transfer to a serving platter, keeping the browned side up. Repeat with remaining fillets and clarified butter.
3. Wipe the skillet clean. Add unsalted butter and melt over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty, about 1-2 minutes.
4. While the butter browns, squeeze lemon juice over the fish and sprinkle with parsley.
5. For a dramatic finish, spoon the hot browned butter over the fish at the table. Watch as it sizzles and creates an irresistible aroma. Serve immediately with extra lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

While Dover sole is traditional, any thin white fish fillet works well. Try grey sole, Petrale sole, lemon sole, or flounder. The number of fillets may vary depending on size; aim for about 6 ounces (170g) per person.

Clarified butter is ideal for achieving a perfect golden crust without burning. If unavailable, substitute with a neutral oil like vegetable or canola.