Dover sole is one of the great British first division fish that really only needs simple, no fuss cooking. When I was a young lad at catering college then to london hotels a Dover sole a la meunière was a staple menu dish as as expensive as it was and still is was one of the most popular dishes was the very simple cooked Dover sole.

People get nervous about pan frying fish and I always ask the question knowing the answer ‘how hot do you get the frying pan ?’ It’s crucial to get the pan hot, nearly smoking before you add your oil and fish and obviously get the extractor on full blast.

Serves 4

4 Rockfish Dover Sole

A little rapeseed oil for frying

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

125g butter

2tbs chopped parsley

The juice of a lemon

Method

Take a large reliable frying pan, preferably non stick and large enough to cook a couple soles at a time. Heat the pan with a little oil, season the fish and fry on a high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side adding a knob of butter half way through cooking. Remove the fish and keep warm then add the rest of the butter to the pan until it’s foaming then remove from the heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Transfer the soles to warmed serving plates, spoon the butter over and serve.