This Fish à la Meunière recipe ignited Julia Child's passion for French food, which should be good enough for anyone! For one of her first meals while Paris, Julia Child ate Sole Meunière, a simple white fish meal cooked in butter and lemon. The best fish meunière recipes you will find produce perfectly cooked fish fillets that are crisp and golden brown on the outside while still being moist and flavorful inside. The rich sauce is both buttery yet light with the flavors of both lemon and capers.
Many recipes call for a white fish, but the type of fish matters less than its freshness and the thickness of the fillet itself. If the fillet is too thin, the fish will overcook quickly. I like to simply dry the fillets, season them with salt and white pepper. However, the traditional preparation method is to dredge them in flour. Use a nonstick skillet coated with a mixture of oil and butter to prevent the skin from sticking to the pan. The butter and olive oil cook the fish and the scallions, then season with lemon juice. The lemon juice in the sauce adds a pleasant lightness.
Mediterranean Gourmet Tips:
Like I do in the video, skip the dredging in the flour if you are trying to make a gluten-free dish. This preparation is a traditional technique that is recommended but not essential. This dish is fantastic without flour!
I like to make this dish with potatoes seasoned with dill, but a side of vegetables, rice, side salad, or even pasta work just as well.
Chopped parsley is also traditional, but I like to use scallions as a different flavor as many people do not like parsley.
Make sure your fish fillets have the skin still on the fillet.
The thicknesses of fish fillets will require different cooking times, so keep that in mind, so you do not overcook thinner fillets.
Fish à la Meunière
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Yield: Makes about 2 servings
Ingredients
2 thick fillet pieces of your favorite fish (skin on)
6 small potatoes
Salt & pepper (both black and white pepper)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour (optimal)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of fresh dill (large handful)
1 scallion (optional)–or about ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 whole lemon
Directions
Wash and peel the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and add salt to the water. Add to heat, and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Hold the fish firmly and make shallow incisions into the fillet skin. Season the fillets with salt and white pepper on both sides and into the cuts of the fillets.
Place a nonstick pan on medium heat, add butter and olive oil, and melt the butter. Once the oil is slightly hot but not smoking, place the fish into the oil skin side down. Cook until brown and crispy about one-quarter up the fillet for about 2 minutes, then flip the fillets over and turn heat to low. Leave on the heat for about another 2 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, and if the potatoes are ready, remove the potatoes from the water and slice them in half lengthwise. Drain the saucepan of water, return the potatoes to the empty saucepan used to cook the potatoes, and add 2 tbsp of butter to the potatoes. Add 1tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roughly chop the dill and add to the potatoes. Give them a good toss, so the dill and butter are evenly mixed. Leave on low heat, and occasionally toss.
Wash, trim and finely chop the scallions. Set aside.
Add the scallions in the pan with the fish once the butter has reached a lovely nutty brown. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan over the fish and the oil. Add the scallions and cook for about2 minutes.
Serve by placing the potatoes directly on the plate, curved side down, and the flat side up. Place the fish on top of potatoes and drizzle the lemon butter and scallion sauce around the plate. Garnish with a sprig of dill and a bit more lemon juice if you like.
Suggested Pairing
A medium-bodied, crisp, not overly oaky Chardonnay is a foil for the rich, buttery sauce here. Look for a white Burgundy, or alternatively, consider a fruity, lemony Pinot Blanc from Alsace.