When I think of Dover Sole fish fillets, I naturally think oftwo things - When is it going to be on sale? And Sole Meunier, that marvelous French classic with nutty brown butter, lemon juice and parsley. Just the thought of it makes me drool.
So when Dover Sole fillets were on sale this week at my local fishmonger, I decided to promptly buy 2 packets of 1.5 lbs each. One is reserved for the Sole Meunier of course but the other - Well, I am donning my 'Creative Chef Apron' & with a basic concept in mind, off I go.
You see Sole fillets are very thin and delicate. So in my mind, they are ideal for roll-ups. At the same time, I want to incorporate vegetables in some manner and where there is delicate fish, there must be wine, fresh herbs & butter.
Back in the 70's the French classic Hollandaise sauce, went somewhat out of fashion and was replaced by the classier, tangy, Buerre Blanc sauce - which is a reduction of vinegar (and may have wine added to it) to which butter is slowly added, and the vinegar breaks down the milk solids in this fantastic way to create a smooth, flavorful & a gourmet's dream sauce.
The way I figure it, the success of this dish lies on a couple of factors-
- cook the vegetables just right, crispy - tender
- make a magnificent Chives butter {Beurre Blanc} sauce
- Cook the fish just right
As long as I don't mess-up any of these 3 steps, I think we'll end up with a raving success! Don't you?
The ingredients for today's Sole dish are these -
Preheat oven to hottest setting or 'broil'.
If you have a gas stove, use the broiler pan at the bottom. If you have an electric oven, arrange racks so you use the bottom third of the oven.
Prepare the ingredients-
Butter - Cut 1 stick (1/2 cup) + 2 tbs salted butter into 2 tbs chunks. Set aside. Why salted butter? Unsalted butter for some reason results in a thinner sauce and the salt in the butter is adequate to season the sauce.
Chives - Chop chives to get about 1 tbs of the herb. Set aside.
Cook's Note - I use kitchen shears as I find it infinitely easier than using a knife.
Dover Sole fillets - Check to see that the fish fillets are devoid of bones. Place on kitchen paper towels and set aside so they allowed to completely dry. Place a paper towel on top of the fish and pat dry as well.
Chives Butter Sauce {Beurre Blanc}-
Begin by pouring 1/4 cup of white wine & 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar into a sauce pan. On medium heat, simmer till only 1/8 cup remains. You may begin preparing the vegetables in the mean while but only if you think you can keep an eye out on the sauce as well. It will evaporate rapidly.
Once you are left with 1/8 cup wine-vinegar reduction, lower heat to lowest setting and begin adding 2 tbs butter at a time. Whip till melted and add the next chunk.
As you keep adding more butter & whipping the sauce it will thicken till it finally gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
At this point take the sauce off heat. Most of us do not have a bain marie (also known as a water bath) at home which is what is used in professional kitchens to keep the sauce from curdling, separating & developing a skim layer on the surface.
However, we are just as capable of developing a version of the bain marie in our home kitchen quite easily.
Take a flat but deep saute pan. Add hottest tap water you can and fill it just enough to reach 1/3 - 1/2 the height of the sauce pan in which you have the sauce.
Place the sauce pan in the hot water bath.
Set aside.
Occasionally stirring with the whisk as you prepare the vegetables.
Asparagus - Hold the asparagus at the bottom & snap of the ends - the stalks will naturally snap off where the tender stalk meets the tough bottom. Or else you can cut 2" off the bottom. Cut asparagus into 3" lengths. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Cook's Note - If you are having guests for dinner and want a prettier presentation, use only the asparagus tips. Otherwise, for just family, use tips & stalks - make sure they are 3" in length.
Carrots - Peel and discard ends. Cut each carrot into 1/4" thick slices, 3 inches long. Cut each slice into 3 strips. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Zucchini - Cut off & discard ends. Cut each zucchini into 1/4" thick and 3 inch long tips. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Cook's Note - I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the vegetables needing to be 3 inches long. If you have shorter strips, they keep falling out off the roll-up. Also as far as possible make sure all your vegetables are of a uniform thickness as well.
Place the zucchini in a separate bowl, add 1/8 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt , stir & cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap or a microwave safe lid & microwave for 3 minutes. Leave the zucchini aside for 1 minute without lifting the cover or lid.
Cook's Note - When I cooked all the vegetables in the same bowl, the zucchini tended to over cook compared to the asparagus & the carrots. Therefore it is best to separate them.
You can also cook the vegetables using a steamer, drop in salted boiling water on stove top or use a steam bag. The vegetables should be cooked crunchy tender as they will continue to roast in the broiler.
Cook's Note - Also, if you are not making the roll-ups immediately, toss the vegetables in ice cold water to stop them from further cooking.
Sprinkle all the fish fillets together with 1/4 tsp peppers & 1/2 tsp salt. Turn over and repeat with another 1/4 tsp pepper & 1/2 tsp salt. Rub gently with clean fingers.
Spread each fish fillet on a clean surface. Place 3 sticks EACH of asparagus, carrots & zucchini. Roll as tight as possible and place it seam side down in a baking dish, large enough to accommodate all of the 8 roll-ups.
Cook's Note - The vegetables should stick out 1 inch from the top end only & not from the bottom end. It looks prettier that way. Also try to get a nice presentation arranging the spears, carrots & zucchini alternating so you get a nice balance of color. It won't look as pretty if you bunch one type of vegetable together.
Brush all the fish fillets, top side, as well as the vegetables liberally with olive oil. The vegetables will continue to roast as well in the broiler. Pour 1/2 cup white wine on both end of the baking dish so the entire surface is covered with white wine.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for about 13-15 minutes or until the fish has turned from translucent to flaky white. Especially look at the bottom layer of the fish to check if the fish has cooked (Do not turn over the fish just do a visual check)
Add the chives to the beurre-blanc sauce and stir. Plate 2 roll-ups per person & Spoon about 1-1/2 tbs sauce on the fillets. If you are left over with a little sauce equally distribute among all the plates.
I recommend that you serve the fish only with boiled potatoes or if you have company, boiled potatoes tossed in a little butter & finely chopped parsley. The fish and potatoes are a match made in heaven.
The most surprising element of the dish was how lovely the vegetable tasted once they were roasted and had browned a bit. The sauce with its rich tangy flavors was enough to bring one to tears as it paired beautifully with the flaky delicate fish.
The comment Mr. Hubby & I made to each other when we sat to dinner was that this was a $35-40 fine dining meal that we were enjoying in the comfort of our home at a fraction of the price.
This is a meal meant to impress and is easy to put together for an elegant dinner party.
Recipe for
DOVER SOLE ROLL-UPS WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES, DRIZZLED WITH A CHIVES BUTTER {BEURRE-BLANC} SAUCE
Serves 4
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking Time - 13-15 minutes
Shopping list
8 Dover sole or thin white fish fillets, approx 1.5 lbs
1 bunch fresh stalks of asparagus, enough to get 24 qty, 3" stalks
about 2 fresh slender zucchini, enough to get 24 qty, 1/4" thick - 3" strips
2 fresh carrots, enough to get 24 qty, 1/4" thick - 3" strips
Chives Butter Sauce {Beurre Blanc}-
1.25 sticks salted butter (1/4 cup + 2 tbs)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
about 12 fresh chives, enough to get 1 tbs chopped herbs
Preparations-
Preheat oven to hottest setting or 'broil'.
If you have a gas stove, use the broiler pan at the bottom. If you have an electric oven, arrange racks so you use the bottom third of the oven.
Butter - Cut the cold salted butter into 2 tbs chunks. Set aside.
Chives - Chop chives fine with kitchen shears
Dover Sole fillets - Check to see that the fish fillets are devoid of bones. Place on kitchen paper towels and set aside so they allowed to completely dry. Place a paper towel on top of the fish and pat dry as well.
Sprinkle all the fish fillets together with 1/4 tsp peppers & 1/2 tsp salt. Turn over and repeat with another 1/4 tsp pepper & 1/2 tsp salt. Rub gently with clean fingers.
Asparagus - Hold the asparagus at the bottom & snap of the ends - the stalks will naturally snap off where the tender stalk meets the tough bottom. Or else you can cut 2" off the bottom. Cut asparagus into 3" lengths. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Carrots - Peel and discard ends. Cut each carrot into 1/4" thick slices, 3 inches long. Cut each slice into 3 strips. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Zucchini - Cut off & discard ends. Cut each zucchini into 1/4" thick and 3 inch long tips. You will need 24 sticks, 3 per roll-up.
Cooking Method-
Chives Butter Sauce {Beurre Blanc}-
Begin by pouring 1/4 cup of white wine & 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar into a sauce pan. On medium heat, simmer till only 1/8 cup remains.
Once you are left with 1/8 cup wine-vinegar reduction, lower heat to lowest setting and begin adding 2 tbs butter at a time. Whip till melted and add the next chunk.
As you keep adding more butter & whipping the sauce it will thicken till it finally gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
At this point take the sauce off heat. Most of us do not have a bain marie (also known as a water bath) at home which is what is used in professional kitchens to keep the sauce from curdling, separating & developing a skim layer on the surface.
Place the sauce pan in the hot water bath. Set aside. Occasionally stirring with the whisk as you prepare the vegetables.
Vegetables -
Place the asparagus & carrots in a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt, stir & cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap or a microwave safe lid & microwave for 5 minutes. Leave the vegetables aside for 1 minute without lifting the cover or lid.
Place the zucchini in a separate bowl, add 1/8 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt , stir & cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap or a microwave safe lid & microwave for 3 minutes. Leave the zucchini aside for 1 minute without lifting the cover or lid.
You can also cook the vegetables using a steamer, drop in salted boiling water on stove top or use a steam bag. The vegetables should be cooked crunchy tender as they will continue to roast in the broiler.
Cook's Note - Also, if you are not making the roll-ups immediately, toss the vegetables in ice cold water to stop them from further cooking.
Assemble the roll-ups - Spread each fish fillet on a clean surface. Place 3 sticks EACH of asparagus, carrots & zucchini. Roll as tight as possible and place it seam side down in a baking dish, large enough to accommodate all of the 8 roll-ups.Cook's Note - The vegetables should stick out 1 inch from the top end only & not from the bottom end. It looks prettier that way. Also try to get a nice presentation arranging the spears, carrots & zucchini alternating so you get a nice balance of color. It won't look as pretty if you bunch one type of vegetable together.
Broiling method -
Brush all the fish fillets, top side, as well as the vegetables liberally with olive oil. The vegetables will continue to roast as well in the broiler. Pour 1/2 cup white wine on both end of the baking dish so the entire surface is covered with white wine.
Bake uncovered in preheated electric oven or gas broiler pan for about 13-15 minutes or until the fish has turned from translucent to flaky white. Especially look at the bottom layer of the fish to check if the fish has cooked (Do not turn over the fish just do a visual check)
Add the chives to the beurre-blanc sauce and stir.
Plate 2 roll-ups per person & Spoon about 1-1/2 tbs sauce on the fillets. If you are left over with a little sauce equally distribute among all the plates.
Enjoy with boiled potatoes or baby potatoes tossed with butter & finely chopped parsley!
