Petrale Sole with Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc

Photo by Craig Lee

from the San Francisco Chronicle, January 24, 2010
via Judy Gray

makes 4 servings

about 1/2 cup flour
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds Petrale sole fillets
8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest
2 tablespoon heavy cream

On a work surface spread with plastic wrap, scatter about 1/2 cup of flour. Dip the fillet pieces lightly in the flour, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and set aside for a few minutes at most.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When foaming, add the fish fillets, a few at a time, uncrowded. Saute until golden, about 1 minute, turn and fry the other side for another minute. Remove to a plate and keep warm until all are completed.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the Meyer lemon juice and zest. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, one at a time, whisking to melt.

Arrange the fish on a platter or 4 individual plates and drizzle with sauce. Serve immediately.

This is a very quick and easy dish to whip up. The sauce tends bea little sweet, but you could serve a more savory side dish. To reduce the amount of fat in the dish, add less butter (or butter substitute) to the sauce.

Beurre Blanc is an elegant sauce for fish, and adding the sweet juice of Meyer lemons makes a fine finish for Petrale sole, one of our prized local fish, and one of my personal favorites. However, other delicate fish would be good with the sauce as well, even firm-fleshed fish like halibut.