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Pan-fried petrale sole with sungold tomatoes, chili, and lemon

Yield: 4

Overview: prep the veggies, fry the fish fillets, and build a cherry tomato sauce

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Ingredients

For the petrale sole

• 1 ½ lbs petrale sole fillets (sub other type of sole or white fish)
• ap flour
• ¼ cup clarified butter or ghee (see tip)

For the sauce

• 1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 fresno chile, finely diced
• ¼ cup white wine
• ¼ bunch parsley, picked leaves only, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, chilled, cubed

To serve

• 1 lemon, zest and wedges
• good crusty baguette or sourdough

Instructions

1. Prep the fish. With your fingers, locate the line of bones running down the middle of each fillet. Use a sharp knife to remove it (don’t stress if you have to separate the fillet). If the fillets don’t fit in the pan, halve them.
2. Coat the fish in flour. Season both sides of the fish generously with salt. Distribute about ½ cup of ap flour across a quarter sheet tray (you can also use a 9x13 pan or a large plate). Dredge the fish on both sides so that all surfaces are lightly coated in flour.
3. Cook the fish. Heat the clarified butter in a wide cast iron skillet on medium-high. Once the butter melts, carefully add the fish (lay it away from you so you don’t splatter yourself with hot butter). You may have to fry in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Cook the fish until it develops a nice golden brown crust (2-3 minutes), then flip and repeat. Set aside on a plate. You may need to add a little more clarified butter if you cook a second round of fillets. Wipe out your skillet, and reserve it for the sauce.
4. Build the sauce. Heat the olive oil on medium heat in your reserved skillet. Saute the shallot and fresno for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Season with a good pinch of salt. Add the wine and cook for another minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, just until they’re warmed through, and turn off the heat. Gently stir in the cold butter. This is referred to as “mounting with butter” and creates a smooth, emulsified sauce. Stir in the chopped parsley. Taste for salt, and adjust.
5. Plate. Place the fish on the plate and spoon a generous amount of sauce over it. Top with lemon zest, finishing salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with good crusty bread.

Tip

Clarified butter is a wonderful fat to keep on hand for high heat applications. It’s flavorful and has a high smoke point, making it great for searing steak, frying eggs, or sautéing onions. It’s a breeze to make. Check out the recipe below.

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EXTRA IDEAS

Clarified Butter

Yield: about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 lb unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Try not to disturb it. As the butter melts, it will separate into fat, water, and milk solids. The fat will rise to the top, while the water and milk solids will settle at the bottom.

2. Once the butter is completely melted, turn off the heat and allow the butter to cool for a few minutes (and let the solids settle completely). If some milky solids have gotten stuck on the surface, skim them with a mesh skimmer or spoon.

3. Carefully pour the fat into a mason jar or other heatproof container. Don’t try to get every last drop! If you do, you’ll end up pouring some solids into your freshly clarified butter. Be content with 90%. Compost the rest (it’s mostly solids and water, and there’s not much use for them). The clarified butter will keep for months in the refrigerator.

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