Pan-Fried Sole with Brown Butter, Lemon and Parsley

Warm Your Plates. Heat the oven to 95°C (fan 75°C) and slide in four plates to warm while you prepare everything else. Keeping the plates warm stops the thin fillets cooling and turning rubbery before they reach the table. It only takes a moment but makes a real difference to the finished dish.

Season and Rest the Fish. Pat the sole fillets completely dry with kitchen paper, then season both sides with the salt and pepper and leave for 5 minutes. Drying the surface matters, since any lingering moisture steams in the hot pan and stops the flour from crisping. The short rest lets the seasoning settle in lightly.

Char the Lemon Halves. Set the small dry pan over medium-high heat and cook the lemon halves cut side down for 2-3 minutes until deeply browned. Charring softens the lemon's sharp edge and adds a faint bitterness that later balances the richness of the butter. Set the halves aside until serving.

Dust the Fillets. Spread the flour over a shallow dish, then just before frying, turn each fillet through it and shake off every bit of excess. A thin, even coating browns quickly and evenly, whereas a thick layer turns gummy rather than crisp.

Fry in Batches. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, add half the frying butter and, once it foams, lay in two fillets skinned side up. Leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until the edges turn golden and the underside is deep golden, then turn carefully with the fish slice and cook 1-2 minutes more until the flesh is opaque right through and flakes easily, reaching at least 63°C at the thickest point. Move to the warm oven, wipe the pan, and repeat with the remaining oil, butter and fillets.

Brown the Butter. Melt the sauce butter in the small light-coloured saucepan over medium heat, swirling constantly for 2-3 minutes until the milk solids at the base turn hazelnut brown and smell distinctly nutty. Watch closely in the final seconds, since brown butter tips into burnt almost instantly. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, which will hiss sharply, followed by the parsley.

Serve at Once. Spoon the foaming brown butter straight over the warm fillets so it keeps bubbling at the table, and serve each portion with a charred lemon half for squeezing. Adding the lemon juice off the heat stops the butter cooking any further, keeping its colour and flavour just right.