Rachel Allen’s baked Dover sole with herb butter recipe
Rachel Allen's baked Dover sole with herb butter and a squeeze of lemon juice is simple but spectacular. All flat fish can be cooked in this way such as turbot, brill, plaice, flounder and lemon sole.
Ingredients
- 4 very fresh dover sole, on the bone
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 4 very fresh dover sole, on the bone
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 4 very fresh dover sole, on the bone
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 75 g butter
- 1 heaped tbsp which is a mixture of two or more of the following chopped herbs, parsley, fennel, thyme, lemon balm and chives
- 4 wedges of lemon for serving plus one more wedge for squeezing into the juice
- 2.6 oz butter
- 1 heaped tbsp which is a mixture of two or more of the following chopped herbs, parsley, fennel, thyme, lemon balm and chives
- 4 wedges of lemon for serving plus one more wedge for squeezing into the juice
- 2.6 oz butter
- 1 heaped tbsp which is a mixture of two or more of the following chopped herbs, parsley, fennel, thyme, lemon balm and chives
- 4 wedges of lemon for serving plus one more wedge for squeezing into the juice
- 400 g shelled fresh or frozen broad beans
- 16 - 20 asparagus spears, woody end snapped off and discarded, then cut in to roughly 5cm/2inch pieces
- 2 handfuls of rocket leaves
- 14.1 oz shelled fresh or frozen broad beans
- 16 - 20 asparagus spears, woody end snapped off and discarded, then cut in to roughly 5cm/2inch pieces
- 2 handfuls of rocket leaves
- 14.1 oz shelled fresh or frozen broad beans
- 16 - 20 asparagus spears, woody end snapped off and discarded, then cut in to roughly 5cm/2inch pieces
- 2 handfuls of rocket leaves
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: French
- Recipe Type: Fish
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- First remove the head from the fish, if you wish! Wash the fish well and lay it on a chopping board white skin side down. Using a sharp knife and as neatly as possible, cut through the skin right round the fish just where the fringe meets the flesh, finishing in an ‘x’ at the tail. Prepare all the fish in this way.
- Pour 50ml/1.5fl oz of water on each baking tray (this is to create steam in the oven). Lay the fish in a single layer (cut-side up) on the baking trays. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes (for a small lemon sole type fish) to 25 minutes (for an average sized sole). A brill or turbot may even require us long as 35 minutes. The fish is cooked when the skin lifts easily off the flesh of the fish from the tail end, and the flesh should be opaque white with no trace of pink. When the fish is cooked it will sit quite happily in a warm oven (with the skin still attached) for up to half an hour.
- While the fish is cooking in the oven, make the salad. First make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients and seasoning with salt and pepper. Next bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans and boil for 30 seconds-one minute or until they are just cooked, then drain but reserve the water. If the beans are quite big, peel them at this stage (they’ll pop out of their skins easily). This isn’t essential but I think it’s well worth it as the skins can be tough.
- Add some salt to the water and bring back to the boil. Tip in the asparagus and cook in the boiling water for 4-8 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately. Add the asparagus and broad beans to a bowl and toss with most of the dressing. Place on serving plates, then in the same bowl add the rocket leaves and gently toss with the rest of the dressing, then divide between serving plates.
- Before you are ready to serve the fish, make the herb butter. Melt the butter in a pan then add the herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Keep warm.
- Remove the cooked fish from the baking tray and carefully place on warm serving plates, pull the skin from the tail end and peel it off gently (if you want to serve this off the bone, remove the four fillets from the bone now with a fish slice; but I usually serve this on the bone). Pour the hot herb butter over the fish, place a wedge of lemon on the plate and serve.
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Roast cod with a coriander crust
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