Chef Jorge Alvarez shows how to pick fresh fish and remove the bone and then how to properly prepare it. His "Pan Fried Dover Sole" is a popular choice at the restaurant.
The Grill on the Alley
909 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago
Pan Fried Dover Sole
- 9 oz Whole Dover Sole - skinned and cleaned
- 2 cups Buttermilk Wash - 2 cups Buttermilk and 1 Egg whisked together
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 oz Lemon Butter Sauce
Step 1 - Start with a 18/20 oz. whole Dover Sole, have your local seafood monger skin and clean the fish. Be sure to have him leave the bones in, this will allow better flavor to permeate the Dover Sole when cooking. The finish cleaned weight should be about 9oz.
Step 2 - Place the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan and begin to heat over a medium high flame. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Step 3 - In one container place the buttermilk wash and in another place the flour. Season both sides of the Dover Sole with salt and pepper. Then dip the Dover Sole in the Buttermilk Wash; next dust the fish with flour, be sure to coat well.
Step 4 - Once oil is hot place the Dover in the hot oil and cook till the bottom side is brown, about 2-3 minutes. Then flip over and repeat the process until the other side gets brown, about an additional 2-3 minutes, place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.
Step 5 - Take the Dover Sole out of the oven and place it on a clean cutting board (non-wood preferably). Down the middle of the fish you should see and feel the center bone. With a soup spoon start to peel off the meat from the center pushing outward, start from the tail. Push the meat off the bone on one side and fold it over to the side. Repeat the process on the other half of the fish. You should now have the two sides of the topped half of the Dover peeled off with the bones still attached to the bottom of the fish. At the bottom of the Dover put your spoon under the bones and start to peel towards the front. The whole bone section should start to peel right off as you pull towards the front. Once the bones are off then check for any little bones left behind on the edges of the Dover Sole.
Step 6 - Now fold back the top pieces and lay on top and you should have your whole pan fried fish again.
- Lemon Butter Sauce
- 2 Tbl Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Minced Shallots
- 2 tsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
In a small sauce pan over medium high heat place the butter, shallots and lemon juice. Once all is melted let it cook or an additional 15-20 seconds right before the butter breaks pour over the top of the Dover Sole.
