Pan-fried Filet of Sole with Butter and Lemons

In 2011, I have purposed to eat more fish.  These days, I never eat fish.  It's actually a very strange phenomeon.  You see, I grew up in New England.  We ate fish about once a week.  Lobster, scallops, swordfish, bluefish, clams...the typical stuff.  Although, interstingly, no shrimp.  I'm not sure what that was about.  I will have to ask my mother.

But as I matured into busy adulthood, seafood has been in my diet less and less.  I guess I would attribute it to three things.  First, my favorite preparation of seafood is simple:  lemon, butter, salt, pepper.  Done.  But as you can imagine, that can get a bit monotonous.  Second, seafood is one of those things that is best eaten fresh.  And sometimes we get busy and don't have time to prepare it that day.  So it goes bad or goes in the freezer until we throw it out 3 months later.  I also regret that I did not put extra emphhasis on seafood when I had my children.  Now, they are reluctant seafood eaters, and that pushes seafood further down the dinner list.  Well, NO MORE, I say.  in 2011, I vow to experiment with and present new (to me) recipes with seafood.  If you have any suggestions of recipes that I should make or makeover, please let me know.

This first dish is made with some of those key favorite ingredients I mention above.  It has a nice, subtle flavor and is packed with good stuff: omega 6 and 9 fatty acids (essential fatty acids.  They are called essential becuase your body can not make them for itself and HAS to get them from food), antioxidants and FLAVOR!!!!

Ingredients


•1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each

•6 tablespoons unsalted butter

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

•6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)

•1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

•1/4 cup rinsed capers (optional)



Directions

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, capers, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.