A clean, homestyle fish dish: sand sole fillets lightly coated in panko, crisp without heaviness, topped with lemon maître d'hôtel butter. A small red onion, herb, and white vinegar salad brings the acidity that keeps the fish at the center.
Ingredients
- 300 g very fresh sand sole fillets, skinless, or common sole fillets
- 80 g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- 40 g all-purpose flour
- 1 piece fresh egg
- 70 g lemon maître d'hôtel butter
- 1 piece untreated lemon
- 1 piece red onion
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 0.5 bunches fresh chives
- 0.5 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
- to taste fine salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Pat the sand sole fillets very carefully dry with paper towels. Salt them lightly and let them rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest: the surface should become matte, never waterlogged.
- Prepare the lemon maître d'hôtel butter, or check the prepared component. It should be cold but sliceable when you plate, so it melts slowly over the hot fish.
- Finely slice the red onion. Mix it with the white wine vinegar, some of the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Let it relax while the fish is prepared: the onion should become softer, glossy, and less aggressive.
- Add the olive oil, snipped chives, and a little parsley to the seasoned onion. Taste: the accompaniment should be bright, herbaceous, and tart, neither sweet nor dominant.
- Prepare three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, then panko mixed with smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. The panko should remain dry and light.
- Pass each fillet through the flour, tap off the excess, then dip it in the beaten egg and finally in the panko. Press very gently with your palm: the breading should adhere without crushing the flesh.
- Heat a wide skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a small knob of butter, if desired. The fat is ready when it gently shimmers and the butter foams without browning too quickly.
- Cook the breaded fillets presentation side first. Do not move them at the beginning: the crust needs to set. Turn them when the underside is golden, the edges of the fish have drawn in slightly, and the breading makes a dry sound under the spatula.
- Finish cooking on the other side until the flesh is just opaque and separates into moist flakes when pressed. Remove immediately to a rack or warm plate to preserve the crispness.
- Off the heat, place a round of maître d'hôtel butter on each still-hot fillet. Wait until it begins to melt and perfume the breading, then add a few drops of fresh lemon.
- Plate the fish in the center of the dishes. Place the red onion and herb salad beside it, never over the entire breading. Finish with a little lemon zest, black pepper, and a few chive stems.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 580.6 kcal
- Protein
- 32.6 g
- Carbohydrate
- 26.97 g
- Fat
- 39.7 g
- Fibre
- 3.2 g
- Calcium
- 19 mg
- Iron
- 0.66 mg
- Magnesium
- 12.3 mg