Fish for Dinner: Petrale Sole with Lemon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts

You'll sing for your supper when it's Petrale Sole with Lemon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus occasionally a few tips and tunes too.

O sole mio! O sole my-o -- Why don’t we all go -- Back to Ohio! For some reason, that nonsensical verse comes to mind every time I think about cooking or eating sole. What can I say, I’ve got some silly habits. Sorry not sorry.

I’ve always thought of sole as a restaurant dish, not suited for home cooking. Boy, was I wrong! This recipe was super-easy and awesomely-delicious. 

The Occasion: Petrale Sole with Lemon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts is quick and easy enough for a weeknight family supper, and pretty enough for company dinner. 

The Recipe: Recipes from Bon Appétit always capture my attention thanks to their attention to detail. Some websites share incomplete recipes with confusing steps, but I find Bon Appetit to offer information that is of consistent high quality and which (almost) always leads to tasty and good-looking meals. Find the original Bon Appétit recipe for this dish here.

What Makes It Special? The Brussels sprouts are so creamy and buttery-tasting even though there’s only 1 tablespoon of butter in the entire dish. IMO Brussels sprouts can be kind of ‘iffy’ in a recipe, but have no fear! They are AMAZING in this treatment.

Beautiful and sustainable petrale sole fillets from Hooked on Fish

Fish Fun Facts: Petrale sole is a fish from the Pacific waters, as opposed to Dover sole which comes from Mediterranean waters up to Denmark.

A member of the flounder family, petrale sole is known for being delicate, mild and sweet in flavor, with a medium-firm texture. 

Serve With: All this dish needs is a grain dish on the side, maybe a brown rice pilaf or toasted couscous with herbs. 

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Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: I was surprised by how much I liked this dish. As mentioned in the foreword to this blog post, I am not a lifelong seafood fan, and honestly do not love all my attempts to cook fish at home. (Those are the fish dinners I don’t post about. We stand behind all the recipes that appear on Entertain The Possibilities.)

Petrale Sole with Lemon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts is not only quick and easy to prepare, but also yields plate-licking good results that are restaurant-worthy. (But not at the same time – we promise we do not lick plates in restaurants. Not very often. Not anymore.) Try this dish!

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Petrale Sole with Lemon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts
Recipe source: Bon Appétit
Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper plus additional for seasoning
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 12 ounces petrale sole fillets
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 6 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine flour, lemon peel, coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper in shallow bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in each of 2 large skillets over medium heat. (The fish fillets are large and thin; you’ll need plenty of room.)
• Coat fish in flour mixture and shake off excess.
• Add fish to skillets and cook until opaque and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Remove from heat and season to taste with salt. Cover loosely with foil and set aside.
• Wipe out 1 skillet. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until almost translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add Brussels sprouts and broth. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until Brussels sprouts are tender and liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 8 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
• Spoon Brussels sprouts onto plates. Top with fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

What's your favorite fish dinner? Tell us, please, in the Comments