Sole Meunière

Some recipes never go out of style. Sole Meunière is a French classic known for its beautifully golden fish and rich, buttery lemon sauce. As part of our Celebrate with Peugeot series, chef and creator Ben Maxwell shares his take on this timeless dish, prepared in Peugeot’s Grill-to-Table ceramic cookware. Made for evenings gathered around the table, it’s a little taste of French tradition worth bringing home.

• 2 whole dover sole (~500g each)

1.  To clean your Dover sole, you will need a good pair of kitchen shears, a knife, a cutting board, and some paper towels. Start by cutting off the fins that run opposite to each other along each end of the fish. You can cut a few millimeters into the fish when doing so, because you will end up removing that part later on anyways. However – MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE TAIL FIN attached. It is important to leave it on while skinning your fish!
2. Next, make a small incision at the base of the tail fin on each side of the fish. Be careful not to cut right through the bone – just pierce the skin! Work the tip of your knife under the skin at the base of the tail. From here, holding the tail firmly with one hand, grab the skin using a piece of paper towel, and carefully pull it towards the head of the fish. The skin should release from the meat, but be careful not to tear the meat underneath! Go slowly to make sure the skin pulls away cleanly.
3. Repeat on the opposite side, so the skin on both sides is removed. Once this is done, cut off the head and tail. Finally, cut off the frilly skirts on each side of the fish. If there are still organs in the fish, remove them and rinse out the cavity with cold water. Once that’s done, you can cut off the portion of the fish where the organs were sitting before. Now you have your fully cleaned fish!
4. Finely chop your parsley leaves. Remove your capers from their brine. Pre-dice your butter into 1/2″ cubes.
5. If you haven’t already, pre-heat your grill on high heat. Place your Peugeot Grill-to-Table dish on the grill to heat up for 4-5 minutes or so. Season your fish on both sides with salt and white pepper. I used my Peugeot Maestro salt and pepper grinders on the finest setting. Once seasoned, dredge your fish in sifted AP flour, being sure to tap the fish to remove any excess flour.
6. Once your grill is at ~500 degrees Fahrenheit, add your cold butter to the grill dish, and stir it gently as it foams. Once the butter is foaming, and smells slightly nutty, add your fish to the pan. Keep 2-3 cubes of butter off to the side to add later. Your grill dish should be at 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit once the butter and fish cool it down. Baste your fish with the foamy butter as it cooks. Once the underside is nicely golden in color, flip your fish and continue to baste it with butter. If the butter stops foaming, add a cube or two more to the pan, and continue basting.
7. Once the fish has developed nice color on each side, and has reached an internal temperature of 55 degrees Celsius at the deepest point, remove the fish from the pan temporarily while you build your sauce. Turn off the heat on your grill. Add the juice of 1 whole lemon to the pan, which will help to deglaze & cool down the pan. Next, add your capers & chopped parsley. Season to taste with a pinch of salt if needed. Add your fish back to the pan, and serve immediately! Enjoy!