To Boil Soles
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Empty the sole, remove the gills, cut off the fins, and wash it thoroughly without skinning.
Soak the sole in cold water with dissolved coarse sea salt.
Cook and serve
Heat the water slowly and simmer the sole for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on its size.
Drain the sole well and place it on a fish plate.
Serve immediately with anchovy, shrimp, or lobster sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Sole
- Is the main protein, cooked gently in simmering water so its flesh stays moist and delicate.
- Coarse sea salt
- Dissolved in the soaking water to season the fish lightly before it is cooked.
The step that matters
Heat the water slowly and simmer gently. Bringing the water up slowly and keeping it at a simmer rather than a hard boil keeps the proteins from tightening and drying out. Overcooking toughens the flesh, so timing matters, which is why the cooking time depends on the fish's size.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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