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Leigh-on-Sea Sole

This is a great dish I made near my family's historical stomping ground on the Essex coast: Leigh-on-Sea. I used Dover sole, but any sustainable or MSC-approved flatfish like plaice, dab or lemon sole would also be fantastic. Dover sole can be a bit on the pricey side, but they are so tasty that they are a wonderful treat every now and then. You want them skinned, with the heads left on, so ask your fishmonger to do this for you. I've used fresh cockles and peeled brown shrimps, which are deliciously sweet, but way underrated. This dish is best made for two so you can cook everything together quickly in one large pan. There's something about the way these ingredients work together that makes it such a luxurious dinner. Hope you love it. OK, here's a quick pep talk for you: every house needs an extra-large non-stick frying pan, so if you don't have one, go and get one, otherwise you won't be able to cook two fish at the same time. You will also need a large fish slice. Cooking flatfish like this is very simple, but you mustn't overcook it. How do you know when it's cooked perfectly? Simple: gently try to pull the meat away from the thickest part next to the head. If it moves, it's cooked. If it doesn't, it's not.

By jamieoliver · From Open Recipes · 14 ingredients
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Leigh-on-Sea Sole

Why it works: Rosemary and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 845 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Leigh-on-Sea Sole

Serves 2

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

386Calories
28 gProtein
29 gFat
6 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Shrimp100g cooked99
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Rosemary1 tsp dried (1.2g)4
Chives1 tbsp (3g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By jamieoliver. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Rosemary + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together845 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Olive + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,590 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Rosemary + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,324 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Clam + shrimptop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together160 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, olive, rosemary, butter, shrimp, lemon, pepper):

  1. Potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Tomatofits better
  4. Chivethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against clam, olive, rosemary, butter, shrimp, lemon, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.