Classic French

Grilled Dover Sole

Name: Grilled Dover Sole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 100g Butter, unsalted, room temperature; 5g Red chilli, finely-chopped; 2g Paprika, smoked; 10ml Lemon juice; 4 Dover Soles (350 -450g each), dark skin peeled off and fins trimmed, (ask your fishmonger to do this for you); 100g Plain flour for dusting; 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper

An easy fish recipe

Prep 15 minsCook 10 minsServes 4

My favourite dishes are the simplest ones, and this is a very easy fish recipe. What can be better than a beautifully grilled Dover Sole? Please ensure you source your fish responsibly, so you protect the future of our marine aquaculture and the livelihood of our fishermen. Dover sole (or king of the soles) has a crisp white flesh, firm to the touch and an almost sweet taste. But we all know that sole is expensive, so you could always replace it with plaice or megrim sole. But as the fish is cooked so simply, it is crucial that you get the very freshest fish you can find. The smoked paprika and lemon butter can be made a few days ahead and frozen, tightly wrapped in cling film.

Ingredients

For the butter:

100gButter, unsalted, room temperature
5gRed chilli, finely-chopped
2gPaprika, smoked
10mlLemon juice

For the fish:

4Dover Soles (350 -450g each), dark skin peeled off and fins trimmed, (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
100gPlain flour for dusting
1 pinchSea salt and black pepper

Method

1
Making the chilli butter: Mix together the butter, finely chopped chilli, paprika and lemon juice.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Lay out a square of cling film and top with the mixed butter.
Wrap and shape the butter in the cling film to form a sausage and tie up each end.
Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden or keep in the freezer.
2
Cooking the Fish: One hour before, remove your fish from the fridge and firmly pat the fish dry to remove as much surface moisture as possible.
This will stop it from sticking to the grill bars and help give it a lovely golden crust.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and char-grill on to full heat.
Lightly dust your fish with the flour and pat off the excess.
Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.
3
Cooking the Fish cont... Gently lay the fish onto the grill and leave for one minute on each side.
Place onto a lightly buttered oven tray and finish cooking in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes. By marking the fish on a high heat, you will get a smokey char-grilled flavour, and you can gently finish cooking the fish in the oven.
If you cooked the fish completely on the grill, it will become tough, dry out and burn the skin. It is also less likely to stick.
Remove from the oven, straight onto a serving dish and top with the chilli butter and wedges of lemon. Allow your guests to help themselves.

Chef's Tips

“
"If you don’t have a char-grill, brush the fish with either extra virgin olive oil or melted butter, season the fish and cook under a pre-heated grill or directly in the oven." "You could try this recipe with different flavoured butters: - Anchovy butter: 100g butter, unsalted and softened, plus 30g canned anchovies, drained - Garlic and parsley butter: 100g butter, unsalted and softened, plus 3 cloves garlic, puréed, and 10g of flat-leaf parsley, chopped"

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!