Lemon sole cooked in butter with brown shrimps

Lemon sole has quite a soft agreeable texture. Cooked in butter in the meuniere style where the fish is lightly dusted with flour and bathed in foaming butter during cooking does it justice but by adding the shrimps and a little mace this great fish becomes something magnificent and I think very British. It is a dish that we do at the Seahorse regularly and it sells out every time.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x 450 g lemon sole
Flour
125 g butter, cut into small cubes
Splash of oil
75 g peeled brown shrimps
Pinch of ground mace
Pinch of white pepper
Small handful of very finely chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and black pepper

Method

Heat some oil in a pan large enough to take the 2 soles. Dip the fish into the flour, hold each one in 2 fingers and give each one a few taps to remove any excess flour, leaving only a light even coating. Lay the fish dark side down into the oil and fry for a minute or two. Add a few cubes of butter and cook for a further few minutes. Then add 2/3rds of the butter and turn the fish over.

When the butter starts foaming and the bubbles are really small, tip the pan towards you, and with a large spoon, baste the fish with the hot foaming butter with about 6-7 minutes. Add the shrimps and continue basting for one minute. Then add the parsley and finish with lemon juice. Season with black pepper and just a little salt.

Remove the fish from the pan and serve.