Sole Meunière (Filetto di Sogliola al Limone) from Lidia’s Favorite Recipes

This classic dish was one of the courses served to Julia Child at her very first lunch in France at La Couronne when she moved there with her husband Paul.  At this restaurant she first experienced European dining; wine served at lunch and the salad after the main course.  She shared her epiphany with The New York Times, It was “an opening up of the soul and spirit for me.”  She also recounted in My Life in France, “Paul and I floated out the door into the brilliant sunshine and cool air. Our first lunch together in France had been absolute perfection. It was the most exciting meal of my life.”  Julia said this one dish led to her culinary career.

Hailing from Pula on the Istrian peninsula and moving to the United States as a young girl, Lidia Bastianich grew up with similar feelings and connections to food and to a place.  It was her memories of the food and culture of Italy and the time spent farming and cooking with her grandparents that inspired her lifelong career which has in turn inspired so many others to learn about and appreciate Italian cooking.

Taking time to enjoy the moment with a family of winemakers and Wayne Young in Friuli

Last night, I was reminded of the time we spent in Europe in June, as we dined on Sole Meunière sharing a bottle of Sauvignon made in Friuli.  I thought of the impact that experience has had on our lives and how something as simple as one well-prepared and executed meal altered the food of a nation and the power it can have to touch and change so many lives.

As Lidia suggests, make the commitment to prepare a meal that is not only satisfying to you, but is meaningful and nurturing to your family and friends.  Sit down at the table, open a bottle of great wine, enjoy the company and savor the moment.  You never know how it may change your life.

While lemon or gray sole is recommended in this recipe, you can substitute other fillets of fish.  I was able to find lemon sole at a local fishmonger.  Be sure to source the freshest fish possible.  I used a large nonstick skillet to sauté the fish.  It allowed for ease of turning the the fish as well as removing it from the pan.

Sole Meunière

Buon Appetito!

Print Recipe

Sole Meunière (Filetto di Sogliola al Limone) from Lidia's Favorite Recipes

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This light fish in a lemony sauce, which always appears on Italian and French menus, has remained a favorite for decades. I served it in my first restaurant, and continue to serve it today. I recommend using fillet of sole in this recipe, but the fillet of any fish prepared this way is delicious. It is easy to prepare, and even kids love it. The result is a puckery lemon finish, with briny capers.

You know how much I love olive oil, but there is a time and place for everything. When sautéing foods that cook quickly, like these sole fillets, using some butter along with the oil helps the sole brown before they overcook. Thicker sole or flounder fillets are ideal for this dish, but if yours are thinner, you may find it easier to handle them if you cut them in half first. Traditionally the fillets are simmered in the sauce, but I like to cook the sauce separately and spoon it around the sole fillets—they stay crispier that way. – Lidia Bastianich

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing the sauce if you like
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 fillets gray or lemon sole, approximately 2 1⁄2 pounds
All-purpose flour for dredging
5 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
12 thin lemon slices (about 2 lemons)
3 tablespoons drained tiny capers
1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 cup vegetable stock or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Heat 3 table- spoons of the olive oil and 4 tablespoons of the but- ter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is foaming.

2. Dredge the fillets in the flour to coat both sides lightly. Gently lay as many of the fillets in the pan as fit without touching. Cook just until the under- side is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Flip them gently with a wide metal spatula, and cook until the second side is browned and the fish is opaque in the center, about 2 minutes. Transfer them with the spatula to a baking sheet, and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat if necessary with the remaining fillets, adjusting the heat under the skillet to prevent the bits of flour in the pan from burning.

3. When all the sole fillets have been browned, carefully wipe out the skillet with a wad of paper towels. Add the remaining olive oil and the remaining butter and crushed garlic, and return to medium heat. When the butter is foaming, slide in the lemon slices, and cook, stirring gently, until they are sizzling and lightly browned. Stir in the capers, and heat until they are sizzling, about 1 minute. Pour in the lemon juice and wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by about half. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and boil until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 2 minutes. If you like, drizzle in a tablespoon or two of olive oil to enrich the sauce. Sprinkle in the parsley, and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper if you like.

4. Remove the sole from the oven, and set one fillet in the center of each plate. Fish the lemon slices out of the sauce, and top each fillet with two of them. Spoon the sauce around the fillets, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with express permission
Lidia’s Favorite Recipes
Lidia Bastianich