Plaice with brown butter, capers and lemon
Serves 2 · 30 minutes · Ergonomic frying pan
Flour-dusted plaice fried golden and finished with nutty brown butter, capers and lemon. A carbon steel pan responds quickly when you turn down the heat, so the butter browns without burning.
Plaice à la meunière is thin fillets dusted in flour, fried golden in butter and served with brown butter, capers and lemon. It works best when the fish is completely dry before flouring, and when you brown the butter in the pan only after the fish has come out.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 350 g skin-on plaice fillets (3–4 fillets)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- Salt and ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 20 g butter for frying
Brown butter
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
To serve
- 500 g new potatoes
- 1 lemon, halved
Method
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 15–20 minutes.
- Pat the fillets thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper, turn them in the flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat the oil and 20 g butter in the pan over a medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, lay in the fillets flesh side down and fry for 2–3 minutes until golden. Turn and fry for 1–2 minutes more. Lift out the fish.
- Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper if any burnt flour is left. Add 50 g butter over a medium heat and let it foam until nut-brown and smelling toasty, 2–3 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the capers and lemon juice; it will sizzle. Stir in the parsley.
- Return the fish to the pan, spoon the brown butter over and serve straight away with the potatoes and lemon halves.
Why it works
Carbon steel heats up fast and cools quickly when you lower the heat, so you stay in control as the butter goes from foaming to nut-brown. Rinse the pan with hot water soon after the meal, as lemon and capers are acidic, and dry it well.
FAQ
Should plaice be fried with the skin on?
Yes, the fillets hold together better with the skin on. Fry the flesh side first so it gets an even golden colour.
How do I know when the plaice is cooked?
It is ready when the flesh is white all the way through and just starting to flake. Thin fillets rarely need more than 4–5 minutes in total.
What can I use instead of plaice?
Other flatfish such as sole, dab or lemon sole work well. Thicker fillets need a little longer.
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