Name: Lemon sole with crab & tarragon butter sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 50g butter softened; 1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves; 50g/2oz crab half white meat, half brown; 1 lemon zested, then cut into thin slices; 1 large whole lemon sole or 2 small ones, descaled and gutted (ask your fishmonger to do this), washed and dried; 50ml white wine; 1 tbsp caper drained and rinsed; 2 tbsp double cream

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Lemon sole with crab & tarragon butter sauce

Lemon sole with crab & tarragon butter sauce

Good Food team

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Serves 2

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20 mins

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

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This whole baked fish looks impressive on a platter for sharing, served simply with potatoes and greens

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

50g butter

softened
1 tbsp chopped tarragon

leaves
50g/2oz crab

half white meat, half brown
1 lemon

zested, then cut into thin slices
1 large whole lemon sole

or 2 small ones, descaled and gutted (ask your fishmonger to do this), washed and dried
50ml white wine
1 tbsp caper

drained and rinsed
2 tbsp double cream

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal492
fat40g
saturates24g
carbs2g
sugars2g
fibre0g
protein27g
salt1.3g

low

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a small bowl, mash the butter with the tarragon, crabmeat and zest, and season. Make a few deep slashes across the fillets on both sides of the sole, then place the fish, dark-skin up, in a large roasting tin. Season, then stuff the crab butter into the cuts, spreading any remaining butter on top. Lay a few lemon slices over the fish, then pour over the wine.
step 2

Bake for 15-20 mins, depending on the size of the fish – the flesh should flake away easily from the bone when gently pushed with a knife.
step 3

Carefully remove the fish from the tin, place on a warm plate or platter and cover with foil while you make the sauce. Set the tin over a low heat, add 2 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Let the sauce bubble for a few mins, then stir in the capers and cream. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with steamed potatoes and a green salad.

RECIPE TIPS

USING DAB OR MEGRIM

As well as lemon sole, whole Dover sole, megrim sole and dab can be cooked in the same way, but you may need two fish per serving if using dab or megrim.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2012

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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.4 ratings

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