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 salt, then heat it slowly.
Cook and serve
Simmer the sole for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on its size.
Drain the sole well and place it on a serving plate with the white side up.
Serve immediately with your choice of 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; its delicate flesh cooks gently and turns flaky when simmered.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the fish during the cold-water soak, lightly flavouring the flesh as it heats.
The step that matters
Heating the sole slowly in cold salted water. Starting in cold water and warming gradually helps the delicate flesh cook evenly and stay moist and tender, rather than tightening and drying out.
“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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