Peppered Sole Recipes

BAKED SOLE FILLET, THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil and melted butter with a dash of seasoned salt. Stir in the shallots, garlic and capers.
• In a separate small bowl, mix together the seasoned salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Spice fish fillets each on both sides.
• Place the fish fillets on a lightly-oiled large baking pan or dish. Cover with the buttery lime mixture you prepared earlier. Now arrange the green onion halves and lime slices on top.
• Bake in 375 degrees F-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. Do not overcook.
• Remove the fish fillets from the oven and garnish with the chopped fresh dill.
• Serve next to white rice or roasted Greek potatoes and a simple Mediterranean salad.

LEMON SOLE

Steps:

• Preheat 2 medium non-stick skillets over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lay the fillets on a piece of wax paper, parchment, or a baking sheet and blot dry with paper towels. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. (If the fillets tapers down to a very thin tail, fold the tail back to make a more uniformly thick fillet.) Put the flour on a plate. Dredge the rounded-sides of the fillets in the flour and shake off any excess.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of butter to each skillet. When the butter stops foaming, add 2 fillets to each pan, rounded-side down, and cook, lightly shaking the skillets occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, flip the fillets with a spatula, and let the fillets finish cooking in the residual heat in the pans, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the fillets to 4 warm plates and cover loosely with foil.
• Add the lemon juice and water to one of the skillets. While moving the skillet in a circular motion, add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, little by little, until melted and a smooth, creamy sauce is formed. Stir in the parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon some of the sauce over each fillet and serve immediately.

OVEN-POACHED PACIFIC SOLE WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil or butter one or two baking dishes large enough to accommodate the fish fillets in one layer. Lay the fish in the dish(es) and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small or medium skillet and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil, and pour the wine and shallots over the fish. Return the skillet to the stove (make sure the heat is off) for later use. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or 5 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness, until the fish is opaque and pulls apart easily with a fork.
• While the fish is in the oven, whisk together the garlic, capers, lemon juice and olive oil. You can also mash the garlic in a mortar and pestle and work in the capers, lemon juice and olive oil, though I prefer the capers chopped, even some intact, and not puréed.
• When the fish is done remove it from the oven and carefully transfer to a platter or plates. Cover and keep warm. Pour the liquid in the baking dish into the skillet and turn the heat on high. Reduce, stirring often, to about 1/4 cup - it should be thick - and stir in the garlic and caper mixture and the parsley. Whisk together, taste and adjust seasoning, pour over the fish and serve.

SOLE IN HERBED BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt if desired, and pepper. , In a large skillet, heat butter mixture over medium heat until melted, 1-2 minutes. Add the sole; cook until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 2-3 minutes on each side. If desired, garnish with dill and lemon.

MEDITERRANEAN SOLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place each fillet on a piece of heavy-duty foil or parchment (about 12 in. square). Sprinkle fillets with pepper; top with lemon slices. Drizzle with wine and 1 tablespoon oil., In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon juice, garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; spoon over fillets. Fold foil or parchment around fish, sealing tightly., Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 10-12 minutes. Open packets carefully to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with parsley.

CRUMB-TOPPED SOLE

Steps:

• Combine the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons cheese, mustard seed and pepper; spread over tops of fillets. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 4 in. from the heat until fish flakes easily with a fork, 3-5 minutes., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, onion, ground mustard and remaining cheese; stir in butter. Spoon over fillets; spritz topping with cooking spray. Broil until golden brown, 1-2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with green onions if desired.

PEPPERED PETRALE SOLE WITH MUSHROOMS AND LAVENDER

Steps:

• In a large skillet on medium heat, sauté mushrooms and garlic in butter for 1 minute.
• Place fillets over mushrooms and sprinkle with the dried lavender (or my posted Lavender Rub), cracked black pepper (omit if using rub), and smoked paprika.
• Cover and cook over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, adding the tomato slices the last minute of cooking. (The petrale sole cooked a total of 6 1/2 minutes. fyi).
• Garnish each fillet with lemon slices, green onions (and/or chives) and a sprig of fresh lavender. Season with salt, to taste.