• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

Join my free recipe email club!
Free eBook
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
    • The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals
    • 30-Minute One-Pot Meals
  • ABOUT JO
  • Contact
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • One Pot
  • Desserts
Home / Recipes
20 minutes
4.73 from 11 votes
11 Comments

Sole Meuniere

Jump to RecipePrint RecipeJump to Video
  • 174
by: Joanna Cismaru

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.


Sole Meuniere is a classic French dish usually made with sole fillets dredged through flour and fried in butter then served with a brown butter sauce! Simple and delicious! This is a Julia Child classic dish that’s ready in only 20 minutes!

Sole Meuniere topped with capers on a platter

This classic dish of fillets of Sole Meuniere from Julia Child couldn’t get any simpler or more heavenly. The sole fillets are slightly crispy, dripping with butter and studded with capers, parsley and lemon. As you fry the capers in the brown butter sauce they crisp up nicely and blossom adding a big flavor hit to this already delicious fish.

What Is Sole Meuniere?

This is a classic French dish that’s just made up of whole or fillet Sole that’s been dredged in flour and browned in butter. You take that resulting brown butter and you drizzle it over the fish once it’s done and top it all off with parsley and lemon. This recipe is a riff on the Julia Child classic, this time starring some beautifully salty and bright capers!

I often say that I wished we ate more fish and when I eat simple fish dishes like this that are just bursting with flavor, I really mean it. I often forget how simple fish is to cook! Not only is it simple but when prepared properly with the right flavors, it’s absolutely delicious.

Sole Meuniere topped with capers on a platter

Ingredients In Sole Meuniere

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  • Sole – A mild white fish.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Flour – Just all purpose to help us crisp up our fish a little bit.
  • Butter – Unsalted today as we want to control the sodium content in our dish.
  • Capers – Drain the capers before adding them. This ingredient is optional but highly recommended.
  • Parsley – Fresh chopped up fine.
  • Lemon – We’re going to cut this into slices to lay over our fish as well as extra wedges to squeeze lots of fresh lemon over our fish.

How To Make Sole Meuniere

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  • Prepare the fish: Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the fillets through flour to coat both sides; shake off any excess flour.
  • Brown the fish: Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a hot skillet and when the butter is very hot but not browning, lay as many fillets as will fit in the skillet and saute a minute or two per side or until golden brown. Transfer the fish to a platter and repeat with remaining fish fillets if needed. Preheat your oven to 200 F degrees, turn if off then place fish in the oven to keep it warm.
  • Prepare the sauce: Wipe the frying pan clean and add the remaining butter. Heat until bubbling, then add the capers and cook until the butter starts to brown.
  • Finish the dish: Garnish the fish fillets with parsley then immediately pour the butter sauce over the fish fillets, the parsley should bubble up nicely. Garnish with lemon wedges or slices and serve at once.

What Other Fish Can I Use?

This dish is usually made with sole fillets, but sometimes it’s hard to find sole so don’t be discouraged! Feel free to use any of these in its place:

  • Tilapia
  • Trout
  • Snapper
  • Cod

Sole Meuniere on a plate with asparagus and lemon wedges

What Can I Serve Sole Meuniere With?

This simple little fish dish pairs well with so much! You can eat it on its own or prepare one of these side dishes for a full satisfying meal.

  • Balsamic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus And Tomatoes
  • Lemon Orzo With Asparagus
  • Italian Roasted Mushrooms And Veggies
  • Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
  • Mashed Potatoes

Tips For Making The Best Sole Meuniere

  • Julia Child’s recipe calls for clarified butter. To achieve this heat your butter in a pot and skim off the foamy white layer that appears on top of the melted butter. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
  • Do not over crowd the pan otherwise your fillets won’t brown properly.
  • You can use either bone in or bone less fillet. Boneless will cook faster and be easier to eat and prepare – so use whichever you are more comfortable with.

Storing Leftover Sole Meuniere

You can store this recipe in the fridge for about 3 – 4 days if stored properly in an air tight container. Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t freeze well but it’s so easy that it’ll be no hassle to make it day of!

Craving More Fish? Try These Delicious Recipes:

  • Vietnamese Fish Tacos
  • Firecracker Baked Salmon
  • Honey Garlic Salmon and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
  • Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon
  • Blackened Fish Tacos With Mango And Avocado Salsa
  • Fresh Sole Fish With Pea Salad
  • Spicy Fish Taco Bowls
  • Bruschetta Salmon

Looking for more recipes? Follow on... My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

side view shot of sole meuniere on a plate

Sole Meunière

4.73 from 11 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 6
Print Pin Rate
Sole Meuniere is a classic French dish usually made with sole fillets dredged through flour and fried in butter then served with a brown butter sauce! Simple and delicious! This is a Julia Child classic dish that's ready in only 20 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 6 fillets sole (about 1 lb) or other thin fish fillets like flounder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoon butter unsalted
  • ⅓ cup capers drained
  • 3 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 lemon cut into slices plus extra lemon wedges
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the fillets through flour to coat both sides; shake off any excess flour.
  • Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a hot skillet and when the butter is very hot but not browning, lay as many fillets as will fit in the skillet and saute a minute or two per side or until golden brown. Transfer the fish to a platter and repeat with remaining fish fillets if needed.  If you have a warming drawer keep the fish in the warming drawer until butter sauce is ready, otherwise preheat your oven to 200 F degrees, turn if off then place fish in the oven to keep it warm. Make sure the platter or dinner plates the fish is on are heat-proof.
  • Wipe the frying pan clean and add the remaining butter. Heat until bubbling, then add the capers and cook until the butter starts to brown.  
  • Garnish the fish fillets with parsley then immediately pour the butter sauce over the fish fillets, the parsley should bubble up nicely.
  • Garnish with lemon wedges or slices and serve at once.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. I served these  fillets with grilled asparagus, new potatoes would also work or served over rice.
  2. It's pretty easy to burn your browned butter so make sure to keep an eye on it. The butter will be ready when you start seeing browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Also smell it, it should have a nutty aroma.
  3. Capers are not traditionally used in this recipe. If you'd prefer not to use capers, it is okay to omit them.
  4. You can store this recipe in the fridge for about 3 - 4 days if stored properly in an air tight container. Unfortunately this recipe doesn't freeze well but it's so easy that it'll be no hassle to make it day of!
  5. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
  6. Recipe originally shared Jun 2011.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1filletCalories: 267kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Cholesterol: 107mg (36%)Sodium: 972mg (42%)Potassium: 318mg (9%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Vitamin A: 585IU (12%)Vitamin C: 12.5mg (15%)Calcium: 50mg (5%)Iron: 1.2mg (7%)
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:French
Keyword:julia child recipe, sole meuniere, sole recipe
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 174

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

30 recipes from around the world cover.

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

nanaimo bars with a bite taken out of one
Previous Post
Nanaimo Bars
beef empanadas surrounding a bowl of dip
Next Post
Beef Empanadas

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rate Recipe Cancel reply

Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. AdJ says

    April 25, 2021 at 7:47 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is delicious, simple and foolproof, though I added a splash of white wine and the butter solids from when I made the clarified butter. Definitely a repeater!

    Reply
  2. Sana Ali / WoChaye says

    February 7, 2020 at 8:01 am

    We made this with flounder. It was fantastic. Tons of flavor and it looks great on the plate. It was fast to make. This is definitely on the “do it again list”. It would be great for company too.

    Reply
  3. Lou says

    October 25, 2019 at 3:43 am

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe! So easy to make and smells absolutely delicious when you’re cooking. Can’t wait to make it again, we used ling instead of sole because we’re in Australia but it tasted great regardless! Thanks so much Jo xo

    Reply
  4. Inzamam / Sooperchef says

    August 22, 2017 at 3:58 am

    5 stars
    I loved your recipe.So delicious and yummy.I made it for my family and enjoy all. Before this i made this from ( https://www.sooperchef.pk/ ). this cooking website their taste also awesome.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      August 22, 2017 at 10:48 am

      Thanks, Inzaman!

      Reply
  5. Dorothy Dunton says

    August 20, 2017 at 9:17 am

    Hi Jo. I am with Kevin on this one. We have recently made a better effort to eat more fish and I quite often make it with brown butter. I also an a big fan of capers, they add such a briny brightness to dishes.

    Reply
  6. Cindy N. says

    August 18, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    Made this Tonight ~ used flounder, thanks for the suggestion ~ it was AWESOME !!!!
    Oh, and Easy !!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      August 18, 2017 at 8:50 pm

      Nice, so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  7. Julie says

    August 18, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    5 stars
    We made this with flounder. It was fantastic. Tons of flavor and it looks great on the plate. It was fast to make. This is definitely on the “do it again list”. It would be great for company too.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      August 18, 2017 at 5:10 pm

      So glad you liked it! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kevin | Keviniscooking says

    August 16, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    This looks heavenly, just perfect! And I love the flounder idea, too. Thanks Jo!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Joanna Cismaru

Hey there!

I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More…
cover for the big book of jo's quick and easy meals.

My Cookbook

Order Now: Amazon | Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

Sign me up

Dinner Favorites

black pepper chicken on a bed of rice on a black plate.

Black Pepper Chicken

a slice of pastitsio on a black plate.

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

side view shot of a piece of eggplant parmesan with marinara sauce in a white plate garnished with parsley and a piece cut out and held by a fork

Eggplant Parmesan

side view shot chicken souvlaki skewers with a little tzatziki on a plate

Chicken Souvlaki

yakisoba noodles with chicken and vegetables in a large serving platter.

Yakisoba

pouring lemon sauce over fried chicken.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

a chicken gyro wrapped in paper and topped with lots of tzatziki sauce with another gyro in the background

Chicken Gyros

homemade hamburger helper lasagna from scratch in a skillet.

One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna

Air Fryer Recipes

a roasted chicken on a serving platter along some roasted root veggies.

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

apple pie bombs on a white plate with the top one cut in half.

Air Fryer Apple Pie Bombs

3 cooked chicken breasts on a cutting board.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

air fried chicken drumsticks in a basket of an air fryer.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

cooked chicken thighs in the basket of an air fryer.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

eggs inside an air fryer basket.

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

lobster tails on a white serving platter.

Air Fryer Lobster Tails

hands pulling apart a mozzarella stick with the rest in the background

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

freshly made bread in air fryer on a cutting board cut into slices.

Air Fryer No Knead Bread

bacon wrapped water chestnuts on a white serving platter.

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Jo Cooks...

Flavors from around the world

No matter what household we have all grown up in, there is something that has brought us all together here and that is a love and appreciation of food. Food that is from cultures and cuisines across the world has always been a staple of the blog. I'm excited to bring you all a taste of each corner of the earth, every last bite seasoned to perfection and served up with love - from my kitchen to yours.
chow mein in a white asian bowl.

Asian

caprese gnocchi in a sheet pan.

Italian

chicken fajita taquitos with sour cream and salsa on a white platter.

Mexican

chicken and mushroom in creamy dill sauce over a bed of rice in a blue bowl.

Romanian

freshly made lamb korma in a beige braiser.

Indian

freshly made hummus drizzled with olive oil and garnished with tomatoes cucumbers and olives.

Middle Eastern

Trending Now

overhead shot of oven baked chicken breasts in a baking dish

Baked Chicken Breast

overhead shot of oven baked chicken thighs in a pan

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

roast chicken with roast potatoes on a roaster.

Roast Chicken

a prime rib roast sliced on a plate

Prime Rib Roast

Browse All
  • Easy Dinners
  • Instant Pot
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Chicken Recipes
  • Desserts
  • Recipe Index

Featured On

today logo.
huffpost logo.
the washington post logo.
jezebel logo.
countryliving logo.
good housekeeping logo.
lifehack logo.
buzzfeed logo.
mashable logo.
woman's day logo.
health logo.
better homes & gardens logo.
delish logo.
healthline logo.
nbc news logo.
blogloving logo.
university of washington logo.
shape logo.
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
  • About Jo
  • Contact
  • visit my other site: Craving Home Cooked
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2022 · All Rights Reserved · Back to Top
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe and get a free dinner recipes ebook!