Sole Meunière aux Aubergines

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two 12-inch / 30 cm heavy skillets
• •Small light-colored saucepan
• •Large rimmed sheet pan fitted with a wire rack
• •Two broad fish spatulas
• •Four oval dinner plates or one large oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the service

   Heat the oven to 170°F / 75°C. Fit a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan and set four oval plates in a warm place. Divide the flour between two wide shallow dishes, one for the fish and one for the aubergines. Dry the soles thoroughly, especially inside the cavities and along the fins; moisture turns the flour to paste and the fish steams before it can color. Lay the aubergine rounds between clean towels, but do not season or flour them yet. Measure the lemon juice and parsley so nothing remains to be chopped once frying begins.

   The low oven is a holding place, not a second cooking method. Keep the fish uncovered on the rack so its underside does not soften, and hold it no longer than about fifteen minutes.
2. 2

   Make the beurre noisette

   Keep 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter cold and put the remainder in a small, light-colored saucepan. Melt it over medium heat, swirling often. The butter will foam, quiet, and then show amber milk solids on the bottom; when it smells distinctly of toasted hazelnuts, remove it from the heat. This is beurre noisette, butter cooked until its milk solids turn nut-brown. If the color begins racing, whisk in the reserved cold butter at once to arrest the cooking. Set the saucepan aside without adding the lemon or parsley, and keep it within reach for the final minute.

3. 3

   Flour and fry soles

   Season the soles on both sides with half the salt and half the white pepper. Dredge each fish in its dish of flour immediately before cooking, pressing lightly so the flour reaches the entire surface, then shake it firmly until only a thin veil remains. Heat a generous film of clarified butter in each of two large skillets over medium-high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles at once without scorching, lay one sole in each pan, best-looking side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes without disturbing it, until the underside is evenly golden and releases when eased with a fish spatula. Turn carefully and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the flesh is opaque, lifts readily from the backbone, and reaches 145°F / 63°C at its thickest point. Transfer the first pair to the rack in the low oven, replenish the clarified butter, and cook the remaining soles.

   If the crust clings, do not pry. Give it another thirty seconds; flour releases when it has browned. If a fillet tears during turning, ça se rattrape: finish cooking it, place the torn side downward, and let the parsley and butter carry the eye.
4. 4

   Reset for aubergines

   Pour the spent frying fat from both skillets and wipe away every dark flour crumb with folded paper held in tongs. Those crumbs would turn bitter during the final frying. Add the remaining clarified butter, enough to cover each pan with a generous shallow film, and return the pans to medium-high heat. Wait until a speck of flour bubbles briskly before touching the aubergines to their flour.

5. 5

   Fry aubergines last

   Only now season the aubergine rounds with the remaining salt and pepper. Dredge them quickly in the reserved flour and shake off every loose trace. Fry in a single layer across both skillets for 2 to 3 minutes per side, working in two quick batches if necessary, until the surfaces are deep butter-gold, the rims are crisp, and the centers yield when pressed. Replenish the clarified butter between batches and let it regain its heat before adding more rounds. Move the finished slices to the wire rack without stacking them. If the first batch is pale and oily, the butter was too cool: restore the heat and return those rounds for 30 to 45 seconds per side. They can be rescued, but they cannot be left waiting.

6. 6

   Plate without delay

   Place one sole on each warm plate and surround it immediately with a fine, slightly overlapping border of aubergine rounds. Keep the rounds clear of the fish's surface so they retain their crust. Sprinkle the lemon juice and parsley over the soles. Return the beurre noisette to medium heat just until it is fluid and lively, never long enough to darken further, then spoon it over the fish rather than the aubergines. Add two lemon wedges to each plate and carry the dishes straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for true Dover sole, cleaned and skinned but left whole on the bone. If it is unavailable, small whole lemon sole or flounder can take the same treatment, though the flesh will be softer and the cooking time may shorten by a minute.
• •Choose firm, glossy aubergines that feel heavy and show no soft patches. Do not salt them in advance. The point here is seasoning, flouring, and frying in one movement; an early salting draws water to the surface and turns the flour gummy.
• •Clarified butter belongs in the skillets because its milk solids have been removed and cannot scorch during repeated frying. Whole butter belongs in the beurre noisette because those milk solids provide its hazelnut aroma. Butter, not oil, and each butter doing its proper work.
• •Seat your guests before the aubergines enter the flour. This is not ceremony for its own sake; five minutes on a platter changes the garnish from crisp-edged to soft, and the source recipe is adamant on the point.
• •Pour a restrained Chablis or a dry Muscadet. Both have enough acidity for the butter and lemon without trampling the sole's sweetness.
• •This dish is meant to be eaten immediately. If there are leftovers, chill the fish and aubergines separately within two hours and eat them the next day; warm the fish gently and re-crisp the rounds in a dry skillet.

Advance Preparation

• •The clarified butter can be prepared up to a week ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it soften enough to measure before cooking.
• •The fishmonger can clean, skin, and trim the soles earlier the same day. Keep them uncovered on a rack in the cold so their surfaces become dry rather than damp.
• •Measure the flour, butter, salt, and pepper several hours ahead. Chop the parsley and squeeze the lemon shortly before cooking, but leave the aubergines unseasoned and undredged until the soles are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 380g)