Sole Meuniere

Having recently read Julia Child’s memoir and seen "Julie & Julia", I have been wanting a good excuse to make Sole Meuniere. For those who haven’t seen the movie, Sole Meuniere was Julia’s first meal when she moved to France and what inspired her to learn French cooking. I thought it was the perfect meal for last Thursday: my friend Lina and her boyfriend Bobby’s quick stop in Chicago on their big move from NYC to California. My roommate Katie and I wanted to make them an easy but nice dinner after their long drive and to also celebrate the fact that we were seeing them for the first time in over a year!

My roommate made her famous mashed potatoes, which she makes with Yukon golds, milk, butter, and just a touch of sour cream. I also made some steamed haricot vert for a little freshness to go with the rich fish and potatoes.

I didn’t exactly follow a recipe for the sole. Instead, I just did some research online and went at it. The dish is ideally made with Dover sole, which is rather expensive and difficult to come by. I had to settle with regular sole from Whole Foods. The sole is lightly coated in flour, pan fried in butter, and then topped with a brown butter and lemon sauce.

I read an article on the food in "Julie & Julia" that reveals the secret to the dish: a thin coat of Wondra flour. I seasoned the flour with salt and pepper, lightly coated the sole filets, and pan fried in butter. I used about a pound and a half of fish and only fried two fillets at a time, so I put the cooked fish in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while I cooked the rest. When the fish was done, I added some more butter to the pan, the juice of one lemon, and just a little bit of lemon zest. I poured the sauce over the fish and garnished with some chopped fresh parsley.

It all turned out great, but I think I will try to not brown the fish so much next time. There were no complaints, though :)