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Stuffed Sole Recipe - Mediterranean-style.
Sole is an extremely versatile fish that is available all year round. It is very popular in European cuisine as it is found swimming in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, yet it is also found in the Atlantic Ocean from NW Africa right up to Norway, ensuring its popularity in other parts of the world.
There are two main varieties of sole - Dover and lemon. Dover sole has the best flavour and is considered one of the finest of all the flat fish. When cooked, the flesh is firm, finely textured and very delicate in flavour.
There are two main varieties of sole - Dover and lemon. Dover sole has the best flavour and is considered one of the finest of all the flat fish. When cooked, the flesh is firm, finely textured and very delicate in flavour.
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Smaller soles are best cooked whole, either by grilling or pan-frying, and the less flavoursome lemon sole, which despite its name does not actually taste of lemon, is suited to being stuffed in order to bring out the flavour or to being cooked with various tasty ingredients including butter, lemon, parsley or a little garlic.
Larger fish are generally filleted and can be cooked by poaching, steaming, baking, frying or grilling.
Dover sole is generally smaller than the lemon sole, more elongated and a light brown colour with black markings on the upper side, whilst the underside is white.
Lemon sole is a darker brown and is slightly fatter and rounder in shape.
This recipe for stuffed grilled sole with a sun-dried tomato and lemon thyme stuffing requires four whole fish. You can ask the fishmonger to prepare the fish for you but if you choose to prepare the fish yourself, ensure that you scale, clean, gut and skin the fish properly before cooking.
Hold the fish by its tail over the sink or over some newspaper and with a knife scrape the scales off the body starting at the tail and scraping down towards the head. Rinse under cold running water.
Next gut the sole. Just behind the head, make a semicircular slit on the upper side of the fish. This will open up the cavity where the insides sit. Scrape the guts out and rinse the fish under water. Next cut the fins off with a knife or scissors.
Finally, the sole must be skinned. The skin on the white side may be left on but the skin on the upper side must be removed. Cut a slit into the skin, just above the tail and carefully peel the skin down towards the head.
To ensure that the fish cooks evenly and that the heat penetrates the whole fish, make 3 or 4 diagonal slits on each side of the fish, taking care however, not to cut through the skin.
This recipe contains all the traditional flavourings of the Mediterranean - lemon, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and onion, and therefore would be delicious served with a fresh leafy salad dressed with a vinaigrette or with grilled or roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
Larger fish are generally filleted and can be cooked by poaching, steaming, baking, frying or grilling.
Dover sole is generally smaller than the lemon sole, more elongated and a light brown colour with black markings on the upper side, whilst the underside is white.
Lemon sole is a darker brown and is slightly fatter and rounder in shape.
This recipe for stuffed grilled sole with a sun-dried tomato and lemon thyme stuffing requires four whole fish. You can ask the fishmonger to prepare the fish for you but if you choose to prepare the fish yourself, ensure that you scale, clean, gut and skin the fish properly before cooking.
Hold the fish by its tail over the sink or over some newspaper and with a knife scrape the scales off the body starting at the tail and scraping down towards the head. Rinse under cold running water.
Next gut the sole. Just behind the head, make a semicircular slit on the upper side of the fish. This will open up the cavity where the insides sit. Scrape the guts out and rinse the fish under water. Next cut the fins off with a knife or scissors.
Finally, the sole must be skinned. The skin on the white side may be left on but the skin on the upper side must be removed. Cut a slit into the skin, just above the tail and carefully peel the skin down towards the head.
To ensure that the fish cooks evenly and that the heat penetrates the whole fish, make 3 or 4 diagonal slits on each side of the fish, taking care however, not to cut through the skin.
This recipe contains all the traditional flavourings of the Mediterranean - lemon, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and onion, and therefore would be delicious served with a fresh leafy salad dressed with a vinaigrette or with grilled or roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
Stuffed Sole Recipe
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Ingredients (serves 4)
Method
- 4 small whole sole, gutted and cleaned
- 2oz (55g) of breadcrumbs
- 1oz (30g) of butter
- 3 chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 finely chopped small onion
- 1 chopped clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp of lemon thyme
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- To garnish
- lemon wedges
- fresh salad leaves
Method
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, lemon thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium sized mixing bowl and set to one side.
- Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan just until the butter begins to froth.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add the breadcrumb and tomato mixture to the frying pan and mix well.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set to one side to allow to cool.
- Preheat the grill to medium-hot and prepare the fish while the grill is warming up.
- As sole is a flat fish, the cavity is found just behind the head. Using a thin, sharp knife, lift up the skin from the bone around the cavity, so that a small pocket is formed.
- Spoon the stuffing loosely into the cavity.
- Place the fish under the grill and cook for 6 minutes on each side or until the fish is a lovely golden brown colour.
- Remove the fish from the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the lemon wedges and serve with fresh salad leaves.
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