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 and capers. Capers are the edible flowers of a caper bush and can be found in jars in 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.
Make sure to evenly coat the fish on both sides and saute on each side until just done. After the wine and lemon juice mixture has slightly reduced, add the butter slowly into the sauce and whisk until the sauce is well-blended. Choose a good-quality sauvignon blanc that you can use as a cooking agent and as the beverage to accompany the fish. Serve this immediately with herbed vegetable rice or baby roast potatoes.
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
- 1/4 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
- 1/2 cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed, if desired
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon soft butter
To Garnish
- Parsley sprigs
Heat the olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the lemon slices to the hot pan and saute on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes, until light brown. Reserve.
In a plastic or paper bag, combine 1/4 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.
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 side plate, loosely covered with aluminum foil.
To make the sauce, add the wine and scrape up any brown bits, reducing the liquid for a minute. Add the lemon juice, capers, and parsley and mix to combine for a minute. Swirl in 1 tablespoon butter and whisk to emulsify the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the fillets on serving plates and spoon over the lemon-caper sauce. Garnish with caramelized lemon slices and parsley sprigs. Serve immediately.
