Dover Sole with Hollandaise
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 2 fresh Dover sole fillets or lemon sole, petrale sole, or flounder, about 6 oz (170 g) each
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 pinch Salt and white pepper
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. oil
- Lemon wedges to serve
For the Quick Hollandaise
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 cup 115 g butter, melted and hot
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 1 Pinch of cayenne optional
Instructions
Make the hollandaise
- Melt the butter and keep it hot.
- Put the egg yolks and lemon juice in a tall, narrow cup or jar, just wide enough for your immersion blender head to reach the bottom.
- Pour the hot butter over the yolks and let it settle for a few seconds.
- Rest the immersion blender flat on the bottom of the cup and turn it on. Hold it still until the sauce starts to thicken around the head, then slowly lift it up through the mixture until everything is smooth and creamy.
- Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne. If it is too thick, blend in a teaspoon of warm water. Keep it somewhere warm, not hot, while you cook the fish.
- A note: hollandaise does not like to wait long, so make it just before the fish. If it splits, whisk a fresh yolk with a teaspoon of water in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken sauce back in.
Cook the fish
- Pat the fillets dry. Season with salt and white pepper, then dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat until the butter foams.
- Lay the fillets in, skin-side down if they have skin. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until golden and just opaque through. Thin fillets need less time.
- Lift onto warm plates.
- Serve
- Spoon the warm hollandaise over or beside the fish. Add a lemon wedge and serve at once, while everything is hot.
Notes
Serving note: steamed new potatoes and peas are the period-correct partners. A glass of cold white wine would not go amiss.