Petrale sole with caper sauce
With all the salmon and halibut I have in the freezer, it had been an age since I shopped at Newman’s, my favorite fish monger in Northwest Portland. But I was craving something different from the fish from the Great Alaska Fishing Trip (see blog posts of Aug. 18 and Sept. 21). And I needed to step back from beef, chicken and pork.
Petrale sole with capers and lemon sounded awfully good, and I was right. With no guests at the table, the Intrepid One and I fried the fish; made a sauce; and put together a salad with arugula, pears, filberts, red onion and bleu d’auvergne. It was a perfect meal for a day that was damp and chilling. Here’s how you do it:
Seasoned flour, a beaten egg and panko all in a row for the fillet of sole
For the fish: Wash the fillets in salt water and then pat dry with paper towels. That’s the IO’s No. 1 rule when it comes to preparing fish. Next, set up three plates, as shown in the photo. The first is flour seasoned with salt, dried dill and pepper; the second is a beaten egg (I only had one jumbo egg last night so I stretched it a bit with a dash of whipping cream); and the third is filled with panko or Japanese bread crumbs. Roll the fish around on each plate.
Fry the fillets in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with a dash of butter for flavor. Set them on a serving platter that you’ve decorated with slices of lemon and Italian parsley.
For the sauce: Sauté about 1/4 cup of onions in 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Add 1/2 cup of wine and reduce the mixture to about 4 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of capers and then squeeze in lemon to taste. Reduce the mixture a little more and then pour around the fish. Season with salt and pepper as you see fit.
Newman’s Fish Co. is at 735 NW 21st Ave., Portland.
Janet Cleaveland
What happens when a retired journalist spends a lot more time in the kitchen than in past years? She tries new dishes and jumps at the chance to write a blog about food, family and good times. My kids are grown now, but I'll be looking back at how they learned to cook, what recipes my husband (the Intrepid One) and I are experimenting with, and how food and conversation make for happy times in the kitchen. I worked for The Columbian for 15 years as a copy editor and another 10 elsewhere, though I didn't start out as a journalist. I thought I wanted to teach English literature. My husband grew up in Clark County, and I've lived here since 1983. My kids have grown and left home. Like my husband of 52 years, our adopted chocolate Lab would never pass up a chance for a tasty meal.