Sole meunière is a French classic: fish dredged in flour, pan-fried in butter, and finished with lemon and parsley. It comes together quickly, so the fish matters most. Look for Dover sole at a good fish market or Whole Foods. We’ve had bad experiences with sole that had been frozen.
Sole meunière for two.
Ingredients
- Sole fillets (adjust for your guest amounts)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- A few thyme sprigs
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt and pepper
What you need: sole, butter, flour, lemon, thyme, and parsley.
Cook the sole
Heat the oven to 200°F. Melt half the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour. Add a few fillets to the hot butter. When the fish turns opaque, flip it and crisp the other side. Move the fillets to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat with the rest.
Make the meunière sauce
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and strip the thyme leaves from the stems into it. When the butter is hot and bubbling, whisk in the lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper, and parsley. Take the pan off the heat.
Plate the fish and spoon some of the sauce over each fillet.
Fillets in the pan with the butter sauce.
What to pour with sole meunière
Butter and lemon call for a white with enough freshness to match the lemon and enough body to match the butter. Chablis is the classic match. We don’t carry it right now, but these four are what we’d open instead.
Du Grappin Bourgogne Aligoté: Aligoté is Burgundy’s other white grape, and a good everyday match for fish. This one comes from old vines in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune.
Du Grappin Vézelay: Vézelay is in the Yonne, the same département as Chablis.
Mark Haisma Saint-Romain ‘Le Jarron’: a white from the hills above Meursault that consistently overperforms at its price.
Buisson-Battault Meursault Vieilles Vignes: for a special dinner. Meursault and butter sauces are a classic match.
Not sure which to open? Request a tailored selection, or shop all white Burgundy.
