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Recipes » dinner » Julia Child’s Filet Of Sole

Julia Child’s Filet Of Sole

By Kate Morgan Jackson

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This simple recipe for Julia Child’s filet of sole pairs tender filet of sole with a lemony, butter sauce for the perfect seafood dinner.

Julia Child's filet of sole

Welcome to the recipe I have decided is the most perfect seafood recipe of all time, and as the story has it, the one that Julia Child created after she had one of her first glorious dinners in France.

It’s the perfect easy elegant dinner, and here’s how it made its way to my kitchen!

One of the things the Southern husband and I actually love doing together is the weekly food shopping.  (I know. But we do!).  I make up the menu for the week before we go, and each week the Southern husband gets to pick out one dinner that he is longing for me to make.

Some weeks he picks a throwback recipe that I have made before (last week he wanted this Irish Grilled Cheese sandwich), but if he’s asking for something new, he always makes a beeline for the seafood counter.

Usually he zooms in on the scallops or the red snapper, but one fateful weekend he picked out…filet of sole.  And I drew a blank in terms of what to do with it.  I’d never made filet of sole before, and couldn’t remember having had it at a restaurant.

But that’s what he wanted, and he had this face on…

Southern husband

…so I bought some and off we went.

(Side note: that picture is from my brand spanking new iPhone 11 Pro, and since I finally have the phone that can shoot in portrait mode I am taking portraits of anyone who will sit still.)

Dixie

Even if they refuse to look in the camera.

Back at the sole, when I got it home I started searching for filet of sole recipe inspirations, and the same thing kept coming up, which is that Julia Child’s way of cooking sole was pretty much perfection.

So I hauled out my copy of The Way To Cook and after much paging around I found her recipe for Sole Meuniere, which is otherwise known as that perfect recipe of hers for filet of sole.

Here’s how you make Julia Child’s filet of sole!

You start by sprinkling the fish with a little salt and pepper, and then you cook it ever so quickly in some butter (Julia of course made clarified butter, but I just relied on my trusty Kerrygold).

The sole cooks for 2 minutes a side, and then you carefully take it out and whisk in some lemon juice and parsley and chopped parsley and more butter.  Julia loved butter, and she was right.

I added a few capers because the Southern husband loves capers, and I love him…and that was it.

5 minutes of prep time, less than 10 minutes of cooking time and I had a gourmet seafood dinner on the table.

Julia Child's filet of sole

So with heartfelt admiration for the brilliant Julia Child (and if you don’t have The Way To Cook, it’s a must-have for your cookbook collection),

Bon Appetit!!

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easy filet of sole

Julia Child’s Filet Of Sole


★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: French
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Description

This simple recipe for Julia Child’s filet of sole pairs tender filet of sole with a lemony, butter sauce for the perfect seafood dinner.


Ingredients

  • 4 boneless sole filets
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup flour
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • Juice from ½ lemon (cut the rest of the lemon into slices for garnish)
  • ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons capers

Instructions

  1. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
  2. Put 4 tablespoons of the butter into a large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the filets and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Using a fish spatula or other large spatula, carefully turn the filets over. Don’t use tongs – sole filets are delicate and need to be turned with a spatula.  Cook for another 2 minutes and place each one on a serving plate.  Cover with foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.
  4. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, along with the lemon juice and half the parsley. Whisk until the butter is melted.
  5. Drizzle the sauce generously over the filets, sprinkle on the capers, add the lemon slices as a pretty garnish and serve!
3070.4 g858.2 mg24.4 g14.6 g0 g13.5 g0.8 g9.3 g86.6 mg

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Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...

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Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!as seen in logos

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Published on December 19, 2019

Good for: Christmas/Holidays, Dinner Party, Lent, New Year's Eve, Southern Husband's Favorites, Valentine's Day

Last Post:
Carolina Bound: The Decorating Plans Begin!
Next Post:
Scallops in Maple Cream Sauce

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Comments

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  1. Bill Palmer says

    December 20, 2019 at 1:52 pm

    Half the parsley in the sauce… does the rest go on top?

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      December 20, 2019 at 1:57 pm

      Yes! Thank you for catching that – I added it in. :)

      Reply
      • Terry Mashburn says

        January 5, 2020 at 11:30 pm

        Thanks for answering so quickly! I hope to make this tomorrow night.

        Reply
        • Kate Morgan Jackson says

          January 6, 2020 at 11:46 am

          Of course! Hope you love it as much as we do! :)

          Reply
  2. Terry Mashburn says

    January 5, 2020 at 7:06 pm

    Is the flour for dredging the fish prior to cooking, or is it to thicken the sauce after adding the remaining butter?

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      January 5, 2020 at 8:28 pm

      Hi Terry and thanks for spotting this – it’s for dredging! I’ve added that to the recipe – happy cooking!

      Reply
  3. Terry Mashburn says

    January 17, 2020 at 2:36 pm

    I didn’t know I could cook “French cuisine” that my very American husband would eat. *wink* This was fabulous- and I will be making it again soon. I served it atop rice pilaf (so I could use every drop of the delicious sauce) with a side of broccolini.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      January 18, 2020 at 10:49 am

      Terry! You are definitely now a French chef – what a lucky husband you have! :)

      Reply
  4. Rita Steinkamp says

    March 11, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    I love following recipes. even though Julia Childs filet of sole seems fast, simple and easy, why can’t you just formulate a real recipe ie: how much butter,
    Lemon juice etc?

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      March 11, 2021 at 9:48 pm

      Hi Rita! The amounts are in the recipe card at the end of the post – let me know if there’s something I can help you with? Happy cooking! :)

      Reply
    • Rita steinkamp says

      March 11, 2021 at 9:58 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Roger Wagner says

    March 25, 2021 at 9:41 am

    Total WINNER dinner with fresh caught gray sole (witch flounder). Only mod was that I used less butter and some olive oil.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      March 25, 2021 at 11:12 am

      Hi Roger and hurray!! So glad you love this one as much as we do. :) :)

      Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

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