The Very Expensive but so Delicate Sole Meuniere

The sole meunière (or sole à la meunière) is one of the most expensive items on restaurants’ menus these days! The dover sole is the preferred variety: a flatfish with light brown skin, the meat is celebrated for being both delicate, firm and extremely flavorful. This reputation has increased the demand for this fish, incurring a spike in prices worldwide. While there are many different types of sole dishes like sole Véronique (sole cooked with vermouth and grapes) or sole à la Normande (sole with crème fraîche, mushrooms, lemon, shallots, and parsley), the sole Meunière remains the ultimate crowd-pleaser. After having been covered in flour, this fish is lightly fried in butter and served in a brown sauce (meunière sauce), with herbs like parsley and a bit of lemon. The dish’s name is probably a reference to the use of flour in the dish: meunière is the female version of the word meunier, meaning flour mill worker. In Julia Child’s memoir My Life in France, she describes that her first meal in France, sole meunière, was “the best meal of her life”!