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.
Jump to:
Why we love this recipe
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…
…so I bought some and off we went.
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.
Ingredients you need to make this recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Filet of Sole: This can be tricky to find…you might get lucky at your grocery seafood counter, but your best bet is a seafood specialty store. And if you can’t find filet of sole you can substitute another mild white fish like cod or flounder.
- Capers: These salty little green buds are an explosion of savory flavor! You can find them in the condiments aisle of your super market.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Start by sprinkling your beautiful fish with a little salt and pepper.
STEP 2: Dredge your filets in flour. I like to do this by putting the flour in a pie plate and ever so gently laying the fish in the flour, patting it on, and then turning it over.
STEP 3: Melt some butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Julia of course made clarified butter, but I just relied on my trusty Kerrygold. You pick the best butter you know for this special dish. Gently add your flour-ed up filets.
STEP 4: Cook the sole for two minutes per side. Flipping it over is the trickiest part because sole is so delicate – I use a super thin fish spatula, gently run it under the fish, say a tiny prayer and turn it over. Once it has cooked for two minutes on each side, place each filet on a dinner plate.
STEP 5: Now for the sauce! Add a little more butter to that same skillet, along with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and some chopped parsley. Whisk it all up until the butter is melted…Julia famously loved butter, and she was right. I always add a few capers because the Southern husband loves capers, and I love him…and that is it! Drizzle every drop of that sauce over your filets.
5 minutes of prep time, less than 10 minutes of cooking time and you have a gourmet seafood dinner on the table!
Recipe FAQs
A seafood store is your best best, although I have found it at the supermarket from time to time. And if you can’t hunt any down, you can sub in another light fish filet like red snapper, cod or flounder.
You can get as fancy as having a citrus juicer that squishes the juice out and leaves the seeds, or you can simply squeeze that lemon juice into a prep bowl with your hands.
This indispensable kitchen tool is a long, super thin type of spatula that is perfect for everything from flipping over delicate fish to taking cookies off a cookie sheet. I always have three of them on hand!
Pop the question in the comments below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
I absolutely love asparagus with this recipe, especially this recipe for kind of fancy asparagus with parmesan bread crumbs.
And since we are so far down the French food road, how about some mini chocolate croissants for dessert?
Other seafood recipes we love
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!
Looking for more seafood inspiration? Here is our complete collection of seafood recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars!⭐️) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Julia Child’s Filet Of Sole
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.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
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
- Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Put the flour on a plate or a pie pan and press each filet lightly into the flour on both sides.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, along with the lemon juice and half the parsley. Whisk until the butter is melted.
- Drizzle the sauce generously over the filets, sprinkle on the capers and the rest of the parsley, add the lemon slices as a pretty garnish and serve!
Notes
Capers: These are little pickled tender seeds that add a slightly tart punch. You can usually find them near the pickles or the condiments.
Fish Spatula: This is a super thin, long spatula that is one of my favorite kitchen tools! I use it for everything from brownies to, well, fish! Making this filet of sole recipe is a great reason to get one if you don’t have one already.
Skillet: You know I adore my cast iron one, but if you have a non-stick skillet this is the perfect time to use it. Filet of sole is delicate and anything that helps flip it more easily is a winner.
Eileen Ross says
This is constructive criticism: I was surprised to see how crowded your pan was. I would think the fish would steam that way instead of being lightly sautéed, break apart easily and be hard to turn. Wouldn’t it be better to do two at a time instead of all the fillets?
Hi Eileen! You are totally right that the more space you have around the fish, the easier it will be to flip them. I am able to get a nice golden color and to have them hold together in the pan as shown though. But if you have a bigger pan, definitely go for that one! :)
Phyllis says
I love this recipe, I used Dover sole. Best seafood dish I ever made.
Phyllis! This makes me so happy – glad you love this as much as we do. :)