In a rush? Try sole piccata
This is one of those dishes you can put together in just a few minutes, and I often make this recipe on a busy weeknight. Delicate, mild sole fillets are quickly sauteed and finished with a lemon-caper butter sauce. I like to add a colorful garnish of sauteed lemon slices that have been lightly caramelized.
Sometimes people mistake sole meuniere, which uses brown butter, for sole piccata, which is prepared with a wine butter sauce. What gives this dish some pizazz is the addition of white wine
SOLE PICCATA WITH CARAMELIZED LEMONS
Makes: 2 servings
For the caramelized lemon slices: 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
For the sole:
cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound sole fillets, same size pieces, cleaned and wiped dry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce:
cup dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed, if desired
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon soft butter
To garnish:
Parsley sprigs
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the lemon and capers. Capers are the edible flowers of a caper bush and can be found at the market near the olives and pickles. They have a tangy, citrusy flavor. You can either use them straight from the jar or rinse them if you prefer a less pronounced flavor.
Sole piccata is a variation of veal piccata, the classic Italian dish. Much more budget-friendly, sole piccata is every bit as satisfying as its meat cousin.
Choose a good-quality sauvignon blanc that you can use as a cooking agent and as the beverage to accompany the fish. Serve with herbed vegetable rice or baby roasted potatoes.
slices to the hot pan and saute on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes, until light brown. Reserve.
2. In a plastic or paper bag combine cup flour and salt and pepper to taste. Place the fillets in the bag and shake until the fillets are evenly coated. Place on a side plate covered with foil.
3. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil on medium-high heat. Arrange the fillets in the pan and saute about 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second or until just tender when pierced with a fork. (You may need to do this in batches.) Reserve the cooked fillets on a plate, loosely covered with aluminum foil.
4. To make the sauce, add the wine and scrape up any brown bits, reducing the liquid for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, capers and parsley and mix to combine. Swirl in 1 tablespoon butter and whisk to emulsify the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Place fillets on serving plates and spoon over lemon-caper sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs. Serve immediately.