Sole sur le Plat

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •16 by 12-inch (40 by 30 cm) shallow ovenproof platter, preferably metal
• •Flexible filleting knife
• •Large heatproof spoon
• •Small saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 450°F (230°C). Coat a shallow 16 by 12-inch (40 by 30 cm) ovenproof platter generously with the softened butter, carrying it over the entire base and slightly up the sides. Warm the fish cooking liquor to a bare simmer in a small saucepan; starting it hot lets reduction begin at once instead of making the sole wait in a cool bath.

   Use the broadest shallow platter that holds both fish without overlap. A deep, crowded dish traps the liquid, and trapped liquid poaches when it should reduce.
2. 2

   Free the upper fillets

   Pat the soles thoroughly dry and place them pale side down. On the upper side of each fish, find the line running from the head end to the tail above the central bone. Cut shallowly along that line, then hold a flexible knife almost flat and work outward over the bones, partly freeing both upper fillets without cutting through their outer edges. Lift each fillet just enough to make a pocket. The flesh must remain attached around the perimeter so the sole keeps its whole shape.

3. 3

   Tuck in the butter

   Season inside the four pockets and over both fish with most of the salt. Slip one walnut-size piece of cool butter beneath each upper fillet, then settle the fillets back over it. Lay the soles upper side up in the buttered platter. Pour the warmed fish cooking liquor around them, add the lemon juice to the liquid, and carry the platter carefully to the oven. The liquor should form a shallow pool around the fish, not cover them.

4. 4

   Baste without leaving

   Bake for 4 minutes, then draw the rack forward and spoon the bubbling liquor over every exposed part of the soles. Repeat every 2 minutes, rotating the platter once if one side reduces faster. Tilt the platter carefully with a dry towel so the liquid gathers beneath the spoon. Watch the change: the liquor first looks thin, then the butter and gelatin bind it into a glossy glaze that runs more slowly from the spoon. Frequent basting cooks the exposed surface while laying down the coat the dish is named for.

5. 5

   Judge fish and glaze

   Begin checking after 16 minutes. The soles are ready when the flesh beside the central bone is opaque, lifts cleanly with the point of a knife, and reaches 145°F (63°C) at its thickest part. The liquor should be reduced to a light syrup that coats the spoon and leaves a translucent shine over the fish. If the glaze thickens before the flesh is cooked, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue basting. If the fish is ready while the liquor remains thin, lift the soles briefly to a warm platter and reduce the liquid briskly in the same pan, or in a small saucepan if the platter cannot sit over a burner. If the butter separates into greasy beads, take the liquid off the heat and whisk in a teaspoon of hot water. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Glaze and serve

   Return the soles to their platter if they were lifted, then spoon the syrupy liquor repeatedly over them until every fillet wears an even gloss. Taste one drop of the glaze and add the remaining salt only if it needs it. Bring the platter directly to the table. To portion, lift away the two upper fillets from each sole, remove the central skeleton in one piece, and free the lower fillets; give each person one upper and one lower fillet, with the glaze spooned generously over both. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin and gut the soles but leave the fillets on the bone. Boneless fillets cannot produce this dish: the skeleton holds the fish together, contributes gelatin to the glaze, and protects the delicate flesh from the oven.
• •The cooking liquor must be strong and unsalted. Use a clear fish poaching liquor or an unsalted fish stock reduced until it tastes distinctly of fish without tasting harsh. A salty packaged stock becomes brine as it concentrates.
• •Butter, not margarine. The butter beneath the fillets bastes them from inside and joins the reduced liquor to make the glaze. We don't apologize for butter.
• •The source also gives a family of wine variations. Replace the fish cooking liquor measure for measure with good Chambertin, another sound red wine, Champagne, or Chablis, then add a little melted pale meat glaze. These are named variations on the same grammar, not additions to the base dish.
• •Serve with pommes vapeur or plainly buttered spinach, something quiet enough to receive the glaze. A dry Chablis or restrained white Burgundy suits the delicacy of the sole.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish cooking liquor can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, chilled promptly, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it to a bare simmer before it meets the fish.
• •The fishmonger can clean the soles earlier in the day. Keep them well chilled and dry; partly free the upper fillets and insert the butter no more than 4 hours before cooking.
• •Sole sur le plat does not improve by waiting. Arrange the fish in the buttered platter ahead if useful, but keep the cooking liquor separate and bake only when the table is nearly ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)