Quick Pan-Fried Dover Sole
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This pan-fried Dover sole recipe is fast and easy to make. Made with capers and lemon juice, the delicious fish dish comes together in less than 20 minutes – perfect for a busy weeknight! This recipe is also adaptable for low-carb, Whole30, gluten-free, and Paleo diets.
Cooking Dover Sole is Quick and Easy
I made fried Dover sole the other day and was pleased to hear my 17 year old say that she loved it so much, she wished we’d have it more often. Thankfully, this fish cooks up quickly in either a frying pan or in the oven, so I can easily grant her wish!
Paired with rice, mashed potatoes, broccoli, or any healthy side dish, it’s the kind of meal that you can throw together in a half hour or less on a busy night. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound Dover sole filets (4 filets around 4 ounces each)
- 4 Tablespoons flour for dredging
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup capers plus some juice
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Parsley, chopped for garnish
- Salt and pepper
To make this recipe low-carb, Paleo or Whole30, you can omit the flour and simply cook the Dover sole pan fried in ghee or clarified butter. To make it gluten free, substitute the regular flour with gluten-free flour or rice flour.
Can You Cook Dover Sole With the Skin On?
Absolutely! Dover sole, rainbow trout and even salmon filets can be cooked with the skin on. Just remember to remove the skin before eating.
After I remove the skin from the fish, I give it a quick rinse to remove any sauce or salt, and crisp it up in a fry pan. I store it in the fridge and a small piece makes a nice treat for my pups.
How to Cook Dover Sole
First, pat the sole dry with a paper towel. Then season with salt and pepper and dredge lightly with flour, or omit the flour and sauté without it. Fish, and especially Dover sole, is thin and cooks quickly. Just 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Remove the fish from the pan and cover it to keep warm.
To make the sauce, melt 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the lemon juice and capers and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
You can use this cooking method and sauce with any fish, such as calamari steaks, tilapia or sand dabs, but I think it’s the best Dover sole recipe!
This post was originally published on January 28th, 2013. The post has been updated to include gluten free, Paleo and Whole30 cooking preparations and nutritional information.
Fast and Easy Pan Fried Dover Sole
Ingredients
- 1 pound Sole filets 4 filets around 4 ounces each
- 4 Tablespoons Flour for dredging (use rice flour for a Gluten-free version)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup capers plus some juice
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Parsley chopped for garnish
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Dredge filets in flour, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, until melted. Quickly fry filets, 2 or 3 at a time for 3 or 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden brown on both sides. Remove fish, cover and keep warm.
- Melt 2 or 3 more tablespoons of butter, swirl in pan, scraping up bits, add the lemon juice, capers and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over fish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Just the recipe I was looking for. Thank you for posting. I’ll take a look at more of your recipes later.
thanks for stopping by John!
Can I use flounder instead of dover sole?
Absolutely!
beautiful. browned butter and capers just go so well together, don’t they?!! and white sauce, but that’s another recipe!
What a fantastic meal to have during a weeknight! Quick and easy, yet impressive and delicious. I love everything about this dish and I’m sure everyone could use their favorite fish. 🙂
I love capers so this is a must make!
I always have a jar of capers on hand for chicken or fish dishes like this one.
This is my favorite dish because it very easily adapts with avocado oil to fry in, chickpea flour to dredge, and coconut oil for the lemon caper sauce. It’s delicious and allows for all my diet restrictions.
excellent! Chickpea flour is definitely under-used in gf cooking…It does have a distinct taste which makes it better for savory dishes.
I bet my husband would love me forever if I made this seafood dish for him!
so healthy too…and we should all be eating more fish!
Such a great simple meal, you really cannot beat stuff like this, I love it… And as for the capers, yes please, I use them all the time in all sorts of meals, a perfect addition for fish.
Thanks Brian! We love capers here too!
Oh, this recipe looks very tasty! It’s perfect for dinner! I like that it can be cook quickly and easily! I definitely want to try this!
so quick and easy Veena…we need to eat more fish and this is just the ticket!
This looks like a lovely and quick light meal. Perfect for spring!
Yes…so light and easy. Fish is always quick to cook too!
Thank you for posting such a quick, simple, and effective recipe. I can’t tell you how many times I come across blog posts where the author feels compelled to provide a three page backstory before actually giving us the recipe.
How many filets does this recipe require?
Why does sole fall apart so easily when frying and trying to burn??
Hi Karen, first of all, sole is a delicate fish to begin with. Secondly, if you’re not buying wild caught fish, there’s a chance it might have chemicals in it which will break it down. Here’s an article for you to read. I only buy wild-caught fish. I know it’s more expensive.https://thefishsite.com/articles/warnings-of-sodium-tripolyphosphate-in-fish?fbclid=IwAR3AGaBwdS5dCCSeb-EUKoWhoejCpRt7_YxXGnMsXZLDpV4ffvOr8-jMSgc
I cooked this dish last night and followed the recipe with no tweaks; I was not disappointed, it was delicious. Thank you for posting.
thank you Lynn! I’d love it if you could rate the recipe for me too? Google loves star ratings! I appreciate your comment.
I tend to be a griller of all things, and I’ve been looking for a recipe to do something with delicate fish that doesn’t really grill well. This was great – simple, easy clean up, and tasty!
Thank you Mac! I appreciate your comments!
I haven’t had Dover Sole in too long – such a delicious and light fish – perfect paired with capers!
This looks amazing and so delicious! My daughter and I are going to love this! I’m excited to make this!
Great easy to follow recipe for dover sole, came out perfectly cooked!
Thank you Kay! I appreciate it!
Such a quick and delicious recipe. The capers are perfect!
Thank you Amanda! Just seeing this. I appreciate your review. Cynthia
I am always looking for new ways to enjoy fish, and this looks delicious.
I haven’t seen sole or scrod in my area for decades, but I bet this would work well with cod.
Am rate this recipe 5 star ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, just am try this it in my last night diner ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Thank you so much
Thank you!
Am always in love of these type of recipes that change in flavour ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Its really supper yummy in taste
Am truly tried this at home
Glad you like it!
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