Ready in a mere 20 minutes, this sole meunière recipe highlights the fish's delicate texture and flavor without overpowering them.
The brown butter sauce is exquisite! If you've never made it before, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make.
![Two pieces of sole meuniere served on a white plate with a lemon slice.](https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sole-meuniere-11.jpg)
Sole is a mild fish with a delicate texture and flavor. So, you shouldn't overwhelm it with lots of spices and ingredients when you cook it.
That's why I love this simple, delicious sole meunière recipe that uses just a little butter and lemon to enhance the fish's naturally delicate flavor. It's delicious and easy to make, and you can keep it low-carb and gluten-free if you use almond flour.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this sole recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Sole fillets: I use skinless fillets. I usually buy them frozen and defrost them overnight in the fridge. You can buy them fresh if you can find them.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. The garlic powder is a departure from tradition, but I like the flavor it adds.
- Flour: Just a dusting of all-purpose flour. You can use blanched superfine almond flour to keep this recipe low-carb and gluten-free.
- Clarified butter: Also known as ghee. It's the best option for pan-frying the fish. It tastes buttery but doesn't burn as easily as butter because the milk solids have been removed.
- For the brown butter sauce: Butter and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Parsley: Adds color to the finished dish and enhances its flavor.
Variations
- If you can't find sole fish, use flounder instead. In fact, in the photos and video posted on this page, I used flounder. It's easier to find than sole. It's available at Whole Foods and grocery stores such as Kroger.
- You can use olive oil instead of ghee for the first stage of cooking the fish. However, after trying both, I recommend using ghee for its wonderfully nutty flavor.
- Dried parsley can be used instead of fresh parsley, with somewhat inferior but acceptable results.
Instructions
This recipe is surprisingly easy, considering it's a restaurant-level dish. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by seasoning the sole fillets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dust both sides of each fillet with flour. Shake the excess off. You want the fish very thinly coated, so you don't want any excess flour.
Cook the sole in clarified butter until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Start with medium-high heat. If your pan starts overheating, lower the heat to medium after flipping the fish.
Keep the cooked fish in a warm oven while preparing a simple brown butter and lemon sauce.
Pour the sauce over the fish, garnish it with parsley, and serve.
Expert Tips
- The most important thing is to avoid overcooking the fish, or it will turn out dry. Two minutes per side over medium-high heat is perfect. If I lower the heat to medium, I cook the fish for 3 minutes on the second side.
- Almond flour is a delicious gluten-free and low-carb coating, but it doesn't adhere to the fish as well as all-purpose flour. I have made this recipe with both flours - all-purpose flour and almond flour (as shown on this page). The all-purpose flour worked better, but almond flour is an entirely acceptable and delicious substitution if you need this recipe to be low-carb and gluten-free.
- Sole is a delicate fish that easily falls apart, especially if it has been frozen and thawed. Be sure to flip it carefully, and if it does fall apart, don't despair - it will still taste exquisite.
- Use a nonstick skillet to minimize the risk of sticking. This is especially true when using almond flour, which tends to stick more than wheat flour.
Recipe FAQs
The word "meunière" means "miller." The dish received this name because the fish is coated in flour before being cooked.
I usually love fish skin. But in this recipe, we use boneless skinless sole filets. The fish is cooked so quickly that the skin won't crisp up and will be leathery.
I suppose you could, but it won't be as good, and you'll risk drying the fish out. I'm typically a big fan of baking, but this is such a quick stovetop recipe that there's no advantage to using the oven.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve sole meunière with one of the following side dishes:
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers keep okay in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to three days, but they are not as good as when freshly made. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power or in a 350°F oven (uncovered). I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
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Recipe Card
Easy Sole Meunière
Ingredients
- 2 4-ounce sole fillets - skinless, boneless, patted dry; flounder works too
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup almond flour - blanched, superfine; or all-purpose flour if you don't mind gluten/carbs
- 1 tablespoon clarified butter
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon parsley - minced
Instructions
- Heat your oven to the “keep warm” setting (170°F).
- Season both sides of the sole fillets with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of almond flour on each fillet, 1 tablespoon per side, and gently spread it with your hand to coat the fish.
- Heat the clarified butter in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl or brush to coat. Place the sole fillets in the skillet and cook them until just done, about 2 minutes per side. Lower the heat to medium if the pan overheats. Transfer the cooked fish to oven-safe plates and keep them in the warm oven.
- Carefully wipe the skillet clean with paper towels. Add the butter. Heat the butter over medium-high heat, swirling to melt. Cook until the butter starts to brown, about 1 minute, then immediately remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Remove the plates from the oven. Pour the butter-lemon sauce on the fish fillets and sprinkle them with parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If using all-purpose flour, the nutrition info will change, and the dish will contain gluten.
- The most important thing is to avoid overcooking the fish, or it will turn out dry. Two minutes per side over medium-high heat is perfect. If I lower the heat to medium, I cook the fish for 3 minutes on the second side.
- Almond flour doesn't adhere to the fish as well as all-purpose flour. It's still delicious- and to me, it's worth it. But you should be aware of this issue.
- Sole is a delicate fish that easily falls apart, especially if it has been frozen and thawed. Be sure to flip it carefully, and if it falls apart, don't despair - it will still taste exquisite.
- Make sure you use a nonstick skillet to minimize the risk of sticking. This is especially true when using almond flour, which tends to stick more than wheat flour.
- The leftovers keep okay in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to three days. But they are not as good as when freshly made. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Lucy
I used coconut flour and it gave it a sweter taste along with fresh tarragon from my garden
Vered DeLeeuw
Wow, Lucy, that sounds absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing your delicious tweaks.
Kathy W
I’m learning to cook in retirement, and this was simple to prepare and quite lovely. I paired it with your roasted Brussel sprouts and my husband and I had a wonderful dinner. Now our cat and dog have taken notice…
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe, Kathy! It does pair well with Brussel sprouts. Thanks for the review - happy cooking!
Malwina Zerek
Absolutely delicious! I've been trying out new recipes. I love how simple this recipe is, while still being so flavourful!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Malwina! Good for you, trying out new recipes!
Cathy
A super easy recipe with clear instructions!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Cathy!