One of my favorite scenes in the movie Julie and Julia is when Julia Child arrives in France and has her first meal of sole meunière, a dish of pan-fried fish bathed in a beautiful butter sauce. She swoons over how lovely the fish is and how much butter the fish is in. It is enough to make even someone who doesn’t like fish a fan!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 (4-ounce) sole fillets
- Ground black pepper
- ½ cup powdered Parmesan cheese (see here)
- 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Lemon wedges or slices, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse the fish and pat it dry. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the fish with pepper.
- Place the Parmesan cheese in a pie pan. Dredge each fillet on both sides in the Parmesan and set aside on a plate next to the stove.
- Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot and shimmering, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and quickly swirl the skillet to coat the bottom with butter. Once the butter is hot, add the coated fish. Do not move the fillets for 2 minutes. AfterN 2 minutes, gently flip the fish and cook for another 2 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and no longer translucent in the middle. Place the fish on a serving platter and pour the skillet drippings over the fish.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup of butter to the skillet, still over medium-high heat. Heat, whisking often, until the butter foams up and brown (but not black!) flecks appear, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice and parsley to the browned butter, and stir well. Pour the sauce over the fish. Serve with lemon wedges or slices.
- Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat the fish in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
