Serving little rock shrimp with lemon sole is my way of spoiling my supper guests. When the shrimp aren’t available loose on their own, I buy the ones in cartons that are preserved in butter.
Serves 4
31⁄2 oz (100 g) frozen peas
8 single lemon sole fillets, each about 3–31⁄2 oz (85–100 g), or 4 double fillets, each about 6–7 oz (175–200 g) (see Slice and skin the fillets, step 1)
1⁄4 cup (30 g) plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp (85 g) butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 oz (85 g) cooked and peeled rock shrimp (see p85, box)
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
lemon wedges, to serve
1. Add the peas to a small pan of boiling salted water, bring back to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove, drain, and set aside.
2. If the sole fillets have their skin on, remove it. If you have bought double fillets, cut them in half lengthwise first. (See Slice and skin the fillets.) Rinse the fillets if necessary and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the fillets into the seasoned flour to coat, and shake off any excess. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 g) of the butter in a large, nonstick frying pan. Lay 4 fillets in the pan and fry gently over medium–high heat for 2 minutes on each side. (See Gently fry the fillets.) Remove the fish and keep warm. Fry the remaining 4 fillets.
4. Wipe the pan with paper towels, then add the remaining butter and melt over medium–high heat until it starts to turn golden brown. Reduce the heat and stir in the lemon juice, shrimp, and reserved peas; warm through very briefly. (See Make the shrimp sauce flavorsome.)
5. Season with pepper to taste and add more lemon juice if you wish, then mix in the parsley. Spoon the shrimp and peas over the sole and serve with a drizzle of the buttery juices and lemon wedges.
PAN-FRIED SOLE WITH ROCK SHRIMP
KEYS TO PERFECTION
Slice and skin the fillets
1 When buying sole or tilapia, you may find what looks like one large fillet. This is the top or bottom half of the fish with the central bone removed, and consists of 2 smaller fillets, one on either side of where the bone would have been. It’s best to divide these “double” fillets in half lengthwise. Alternatively, you may find “single” fillets, which are already divided, so there is no need to cut them.
2 To skin the fish, lay each fillet skin-side down on a board. Put a little salt on your fingers so you can get a good grip on the skin (it can be slippery). Starting at the tail end, make an incision between the skin and flesh using a sharp, thin, long-bladed knife. Holding the knife at an angle, slide it along the skin, wiggling the skin as you go in order to separate it from the flesh.
Gently fry the fillets
1 Before frying the fish, sprinkle the flour onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Place each fillet in the seasoned flour and drag it through the flour to coat. Gently shake off any excess flour to give a light coating that will protect the fish as it cooks.
2 When the butter starts to foam, and before it changes color, lay 4 fillets in the pan with the unskinned side down. Never overcrowd the pan by frying too many fish at once. Turn after 2 minutes and press down with a fish slice if the fillets start to curl. You want them to sizzle and brown slightly, but not overcook, so adjust heat as needed. When done, the fish will look opaque and flake easily.
Make the shrimp sauce flavorsome
1 Browning the butter for a quick sauce gives it a nutty flavor. Once the butter starts to change color and release a nutty aroma (this will take about 2 minutes), swirl it around in the pan so that the butter can brown evenly.
2 As soon as the butter is a pale golden brown color, reduce the heat, pour in the lemon juice, and stir in the shrimp and peas. The heat should be quite low, just enough to warm them through. Don’t leave the pan on the heat for any longer than 1 minute, or the peas will start to discolor and the shrimp become less juicy.
3 Season with pepper and taste the sauce to see if you need to add any more lemon juice. Mix in the parsley just before serving. If it is added too early, it will lose its color.
Tiny, succulent, and packed with flavor, rock shrimp are translucent when raw, but turn amber-brown on cooking. They can be difficult to peel, but you can buy them in some supermarkets and fishmongers already cooked and peeled. If you can’t find rock shrimp, use the tiniest shrimp you can find and cut them into small pieces.