Recipe: Petrale Sole Fillet with a Soft Herb Crust and Chive Crushed New Potatoes

Generally regarded as the premium Pacific coast "sole", Petrale Sole is NOT a true SOLE, but rather a FLOUNDER, a flatfish that is found in the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Mexico. Two discrete populations have been identified in B.C. coastal waters, near Vancouver Island. It has olive brown skin and ivory, or cream-colored flesh.

Cooking tips:
Highly prized for its excellent flavor and fine-textured, low fat flesh, Petrale sole can be prepared in almost any manner including saut ing, broiling, grilling and poaching.

Petrale Sole, like other Flatfish, is a very soft, moist fish that is vulnerable to mushiness if cooked too long. Brevity of cooking time is essential.

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PETRALE SOLE FILLET WITH A SOFT HERB CRUST
AND CHIVE CRUSHED NEW POTATOES
(Petrale Sole, like other Flatfish, is a very soft, moist fish that is vulnerable to mushiness if cooked too long. Brevity of cooking time is essential.)
Servings: 2

HERB CRUST:
100 g soft butter
80 g breadcrumbs
40 g gruyere cheese
25 g parsley
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2 Fillets of Sole
5 small new potatoes, cooked, and crushed with a fork
20g of chives
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10 spears of asparagus
4 shitake mushrooms
10 button onions
1 handful of baby spinach
butter and/or olive oil
Preheat oven at 180C. (350F.)

Herb Crust:
Puree the butter, breadcrumbs, gruyere, and parsley together. Place on top of the fillets and bake in a medium oven till cooked.

Place the crushed potatoes that have been mixed with the chives in the middle of the plate and form a line.

Saute the asparagus, mushrooms, and baby spinach in the butter and/or olive oil.

Place on top of the potatoes and just falling to the sides.

Gently remove the fish and place on top of the potatoes and vegetables.

Froth your sauce and pour around.

Source: David Hawksworth