The table of old times,
The Book of Recipes

Sole fillets with citrus fruits

Period: 17th century / Category: dish

Moonstone, The Cook

Ingredients

for 6 persons :

  • 3 soles prepared in fillets
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 50g butter
  • 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 organic lemon cut into very thin slices.
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • the juice of an orange
  • 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 bunch of chopped fresh chives

The preparation

1- Salt and pepper the sole fillets and fry them in a pan with olive oil. Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with absorbent food paper.
2- In the same pan, melt the butter and brown the chopped shallot over high heat.
3- Add the lemon slices, bay leaves and nutmeg and cook for a few minutes over medium heat. When the sauce is almost ready, add the orange juice. Check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if necessary. Remove from heat.
4- Remove the lemon skin from the sauce or pass the sauce through a sieve, pressing well with a spatula.
5- Arrange the sole fillets on plates, top with the hot sauce and decorate with chopped chives.

Annotations

  • Pierre de Lune suggests using lemons or oranges. You therefore have the choice between the two citrus fruits.
  • This delicate dish can be enjoyed both hot as a main course and cold as a starter, after having marinated in the fridge.
  • You can replace the sole fillets with red tuna or salmon steaks.