Julia Child’s Sole Meunière

Sole meunière is the second course, and probably the most memorable course, Julia Child had during her first meal in France. This is a classic French dish, where sole, filets or the whole fish, is lightly floured and then pan fried with butter. The sauce is finished with capers, parsley, and fresh lemon juice. It’s very similar to this pan-fried salmon dish I made a couple weeks ago.

Here’s Julia’s description of the sole meunière served to her at Restaurant La Couronne:

It arrived whole: a large, flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. The waiter carefully placed the platter in front of us, stepped back, and said: “Bon appétit!” I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the brown butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection.[i]

This meal and this dish in particular, certainly made quite the impression on Julia. She was fresh off the boat, hesitant and unsure of what France had to offer, and was surprised and delighted by the new foods and friendly faces.

Here’s a fictionalized version of this momentous occasion depicted in the movie Juile and Julia (a lovely movie; if you haven’t seen it, you really should!):

How to Make Clarified Butter for Sole Meunière

Sole meunière is a fast and easy meal to prepare. However, the recipe does call for clarified butter, butter that has had the milk solids and water removed, which can be made in advance. The reason clarified butter is so important in this recipe, and others that require heating butter over high heat, is that by removing the milk solids and water you are able to cook at a higher heat without burning the butter or causing it to smoke.

Clarified Butter for Sole Meunière

To make clarified butter, you place the butter in a small saucepan and heat over low heat. As the butter heats up, it will begin to separate into three layers. Foam will form on the top, the clarified butter will be in the center, and the milk solids will be on the bottom of the pan. Skim the foam off (you can save this for later, if you want to use it in other dishes). Line a sieve with cheesecloth and strain the remaining butter in the saucepan, leaving the solids in the pan.

Here’s a video on how to make clarified butter, if you want to see the process:

This sole meunière recipe requires 5-6 tablespoons of clarified butter. When you make clarified butter you lose about a quarter of the butter you started with; so for this recipe I started with 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, so I’d end up with 6 tablespoons clarified butter. You can also make a larger quantity than what’s needed for this recipe, as clarified butter keeps well.

Once you have the clarified butter made, the process for cooking sole meunière is simple. You salt and pepper the fish, lightly dredge it in flour, and then pan fry it in a hot pan with clarified butter for a couple of minutes per side. You finish the dish by adding capers to the butter and pouring the butter sauce over the fish. Add chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Voilà, you’re done.

Julia Child’s sole meunière recipe, from her Way to Cook cookbook, highlights the simplicity of the ingredients and produces a tender sole filet that is buttery and delicious. A perfect course to follow the oysters on the half shell!

If you want more French recipes for sole check out this episode of the French Chef!

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Julia Child’s Sole Meunière Recipe

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Meal type	Main Dish
Region	French
From book	Way to cook

Sole meunière is the second course, and probably the most memorable course, Julia Child had during her first meal in France.

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 skinless, boneless filets of sole
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 to 6 tablespoons clarified butter
• fresh parsley (chopped)
• lemon wedges
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons capers (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Layout and pat dry the fillets. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Dredge in a light coating of flour, brushing off excess with your fingers.

Step 3

In a skillet on medium-high heat, pour in clarified butter and heat until just before browning.

Step 4

Place filets in the pan, without overcrowding, about 3 to 4 a skillet. Brown on one side about 1 to 2 minutes, and carefully flip over to brown the other side.

Step 5

Remove fish to platter, and if using, add capers to butter and heat for a minute. Pour capers and butter over fish.

Step 6

Garnish with lemon and fresh parsley. Serve.