Filet of Sole Francese

The Method of Cooking…

This seafood recipe is made with 4 simple ingredients. It is an “authentic French” recipe where the fish is cooked in butter (not oil) just the way they did it for centuries.

Because the origin of this recipe is from France and was adapted in popular restaurants, in Italian, it is pronounced: “Francese.” And in French it is known as sole meuniere, or sole a la meuniere.

While searching for an authentic recipe, I found this one from an old cookbook I had tucked away, The Way to Cook by Julia Child. The fish is cooked in one skillet and it is ready in minutes.

Perfect!

Keep in mind, that this recipe for “filet of sole” refers to any flat-bodied fish and lends itself well to several kinds of fillets, such as Dover, Flounder, Trout, Lemon Sole, and even Tilapia.

Serve it with our angel hair pasta with lemon sauce and this meal is sublime!

Directions To Make (authentic) Filet of Sole Francese:

Easy steps to make this simple seafood dinner in one skillet!

1. First, rinse the fillets. Next, pat them dry on both sides using a paper towel. Season both sides with some sea salt or Himalayan salt and black pepper.

2. Place the flour on a large, shallow plate. Then sprinkle additional flour over the large filet and rub it into the fish. Dredge fish on both sides, shaking off excess.

3. In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter, until sizzling and bubbling.

4. Place the fish fillets (or in this case, one large filet) in the pan and cook until golden, then use a spatula to flip them over, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

5. Remove and set onto a serving platter. Melt the remaining butter, sprinkle parsley, and squeeze half of a lemon into the skillet. Sauté and brown the butter for about 1 minute. Pour over the fish.

6. Finally, squeeze the additional 1/2 of lemon juice over the fish and serve.

Notes and Tips for Success…

• It is important to rinse the fillets before you cook them. There is always cross-contamination in fish markets; so it is best to give them a quick rinse under cold water and drain.
• Equally important is to pat dry the filet (or fillets) with a paper towel before dredging or you will not be able to get the fillets to crisp up.
• For delicate fish like a filet of sole, it is best to use a large spatula to turn them over. Do not use kitchen tongs, only the spatula is needed, or the filets will break easily and fall apart.  
• For those who need gluten-free. Try using almond meal, corn flour (not cornmeal), or all-purpose gluten-free flour. They all work well with this recipe.
• Also, sole filet it is a good source of vitamin E, vitamin-B12, thiamin, and riboflavin. Plus, it is a rich source of minerals including iodine, calcium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

What to Serve with Sole Francese?

Of course, you can serve it with a simple crisp green salad, or serve it with any of these delicious sides:

• our angel hair pasta with lemon sauce
• with some best creamy mashed potatoes
• and, for a “low-carb” side, try our creamy mashed cauliflower

A delicious seafood dinner that’s simple, requires little time for cooking, and has a great payoff.

This was a hit! You may be skeptical that something this simple with so few ingredients could be incredibly flavorful but this recipe is a keeper!

Try it! … and let us know how it turns out.

ENJOY!!

If you enjoyed this recipe for Filet of Sole Francese, let us know and leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Cooking! 🙂