Pan-fried lemon sole with tomato, olive and caper sauce

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This pan-fried lemon sole recipe is simple, light and can be on the table within thirty-five minutes. Served with a southern Italian-inspired sauce of tomatoes, capers, anchovies and olives, this is the perfect dish for when you are short on time but looking to impress.

First published in 2019

This easy lemon sole recipe was inspired by the southern Italian dish Pesca alla Ghiotta. Traditionally served with swordfish, the sauce is made up of classic Italian store-cupboard staples such as anchovies, capers and olives. Throw in some fresh chilli too if you want to add a fiery kick.

Lightly dredging the fish in flour before cooking helps you achieve a nice golden skin, resulting in a simple yet impressive summer dish worthy of a celebration.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lemon sole

Sauce

Method

1
Add a knob of butter to a nonstick frying pan and gently fry the onion, garlic and anchovies until the anchovies have started to melt into the butter and the onion and garlic is soft and translucent
2
Add the capers and fry for a further minute
3
Add the tomatoes and olives and simmer on a low heat until the tomatoes collapse into a sauce
4
In the meantime, lightly dust the fish with flour on both sides and season
5
Place another nonstick frying pan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. Once hot, carefully place the fish, top-side down, into the pan. Cook for around 3 minutes or until the fish is starting to turn golden round the edges
6
Flip the fish over and cook for 2–3 minutes before adding cubes of butter. When the butter is melted and foaming, tilt the pan towards you and use a spoon to baste the butter back over the fish
7
Remove the fish from the pan and drizzle over the browned butter. Leave to rest for a few minutes
8
Taste the sauce and add salt if needed (the anchovies will have seasoned it to an extent). Stir most of the chopped parsley into the sauce then spoon out onto a serving plate
9
Top with the fish and a further sprinkle of parsley and flaky sea salt

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