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Caper-Dressed Sole with Potato Salad

This quick and simple recipe makes the most of delicately-flavoured Lemon Sole or Dover Sole, both unfairly underrated flat fish. You can make the salad well in advance if you like, though it is lovely when the potatoes are still a little warm – and fresh salad leaves are a must. Serves 2.

Rating
Medium
Serves
2
Course
Salad
Prepare
-
Cook
-
Total time
-

Ingredients

For the Potato Salad:

  • 250g small Potatoes, halved (or larger potatoes cut into roughly 3cm chunks)
  • 1 ½ tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
  • 3 Spring Onions, trimmed and sliced finely
  • Small bunch fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, washed and chopped
  • 1 small sprig fresh Mint, leaves only, washed and chopped
  • Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

For the Fish:

Method

First, make the salad. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, with a good pinch of salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Put the prepared spring onions, parsley and mint into the bottom of a serving bowl and pour over the dressing, turning the leaves to coat. Put the potatoes in a small pan and cover them with water, then place on a medium-high heat and bring to the boil – they will need 8-10 minutes, or until they are tender to the tip of a sharp knife. While the potatoes are cooking, sieve the flour into a bowl then season it to your taste with salt and pepper. Use the seasoned flour to dust the fillets, shaking off any excess.

Next, take a large frying pan and place it over a medium heat, and have a large clean dish handy. Add the oil and wait for it to get hot, then carefully lay the fillets in the pan, skin-side down, and cook for two minutes before turning them and cooking the other side for a further 1-2 minutes (depending on the size of the pan, you may need to do this in batches). Put the cooked fish in the dish, and set aside for a moment while you make the caper dressing.

First, take the pan off the heat and drop in the butter, swirling it around the pan. Now add the capers, chopped parsley and the juice of half the lemon to the pan; season well with salt and pepper and stir gently to mix. Spoon the buttery sauce over the dish of cooked fillets, turning the fish gently a few times to coat. The potatoes should be ready by now, so drain them well, then tip them carefully into the bowl with the dressed herbs and toss very gently together.

To serve, place a handful of salad leaves on each of two serving plates, then divide the fish and the potato salad evenly between them. Pour any remaining caper sauce over the fish, then garnish with the lemon wedges and take to the table.