Sole is a mild-flavored, delicate white fish that is simple and quick to cook. Sole has an elongated oval-shaped, nearly flat body, with light skin on the bottom, dark top skin, and odd-looking eyes. Unlike other fish, this flatfish has two eyes on the same side of its head and can only look upward. Sole is commonly referred to as a bottom-dweller, or ground fish. The most common flatfish sold on the East Coast include a variety of flounders, gray sole, and Atlantic halibut. The fish marked “sole” found at fish counters in local grocery stores is most likely gray sole. Flounder and halibut are generally marked as such.
Trawlers drag their nets along the bottom of the ocean to catch flatfish and other ground fish. Sole is a relatively inexpensive fish, compared to other fish, and is found in abundance throughout the year. The primary commercial fishing season for sole is September and October, when large groups congregate in the inshore waters. In the summer months sole are found in deeper waters.
Since flatfish are very thin, less than a half an inch, they cook quickly. The general rule for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. A fillet of sole can be pan-fried or sautéed in two or three minutes, and oven-baked in five minutes. However, stuffed sole takes 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the ingredients of the stuffing.
This recipe is for four sole fillets.
Serve with steamed fresh asparagus and rice. Asparagus is readily available in the spring. Select bunches that are firm; smaller stalks are more tender than thick stalks. To cook asparagus, bring about a half-inch of water to a boil in a small shallow skillet. Snap off the ends of each stalk, and then snap each to the appropriate size, place in boiling water; sprinkle with a dash of salt, cover, and cook for two minutes or until desired tenderness. One tip is to cook the asparagus until the water has nearly evaporated. Rinse asparagus in cold water to prevent the stalks from cooking further.
