A dover sole being plated after being cooked in the frying pan

Mitch's guide to cooking Dover Sole

How do you cook dover Sole?

One of the best ways to cook your Dover sole is pan frying.

The key is to ensure the fish doesn’t stick to the pan - it’s got to be hot.

1. Heat a pan on high with a generous knob of clarified butter (or regular butter works too).

2. When the butter starts to smoke & caramelise, place the fish in the pan. Lower the heat to medium.

3. Lightly season & give the pan a shake to ensure the fish isn’t sticking, but other than that - let it do its thing. Resist the urge to keep poking it or flipping it.

4. Flip the fish & repeat on the other side.

5. It’s done when the flesh has a slight bounce when pressed.

Rest the Dover Sole

Remove from the heat & let the fish sit for a minute or two before serving to allow the protein to rest & the moisture to absorb.

Serving Dover Sole

You can either serve the fish whole, or cut it off the bone before serving. Carefully slice your knife from the bone outwards & run it along the central spine. The fish peels away from the bone beautifully.

Do either side of the spine, flip the fish over, & do it twice more, yielding four beautifully tender slices of fish.

Top Dover Sole Tips

Resist the urge to run the fish under the tap when you remove the packaging. It’s clean, trust us.

Every fish and kitchen varies! Keep it simple, and respect the natural beauty of the Dover sole.

Other delicious Dover Sole recipes

PAN-FRIED DOVER SOLE WITH NOISETTE BUTTER

HERB-CRUSTED ROASTED DOVER SOLE

GRILLED DOVER SOLE WITH NDUJA BUTTER AND SPANISH CAPERBERRIES

DOVER SOLE WITH PROSCIUTTO AND SAGE