Provencal Sauce Dover Sole Oven-Finished
Pan-seared Dover sole with a light Provencal tomato and herb sauce. The fish is dusted with Wondra flour, cooked flesh-side down until golden, then finished in a 375°F oven while a separate sauce of garlic, shallots, white wine, tomatoes or stone fruit, vegetable broth, and fresh basil and parsley comes together on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dover sole, whole
- salt, to taste(optional)
- pepper, to taste(optional)
- grapeseed oil, as needed(optional)
- Wondra Flour, as needed(optional)all-purpose flour1:1produces slightly thicker crustadds gluten
all-purpose is more common
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 whole shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pint tomatoes, quartered, or grapes or pearsgrapes1:1sweetermilder acidity
source-listed alternative
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 ounces white wine
- 8 ounces vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F and heat a large oval saute pan over medium-high heat.
- 2
Season fish with salt and pepper, lightly dust the flesh side with Wondra flour.
- 3
Coat the pan with grapeseed oil and add fish flour-side down. Cook until golden brown.
- 4
Turn fish over and transfer pan to oven to finish for 8-10 minutes.
- 5
While fish cooks, heat a saute pan over medium heat with olive oil, shallots, and garlic; cook until golden and toasted.
- 6
Add white wine, tomato paste, and tomatoes or fruit; cook until they begin to break down.
- 7
Add vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper.
- 8
Finish sauce with fresh parsley and basil.
Tips
Wondra flour creates a lighter crust than all-purpose flour due to its fine texture.
Fruit substitutions for tomatoes add a subtle sweetness; pears are more delicate than grapes.
Good to Know
Sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and gently reheated; cook fish fresh to serve.
Plate seared fish and spoon warm sauce around or over the top.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the flour dust on flesh side to avoid a soggy crust.
Do not overcook the fish in the oven to avoid drying out the delicate meat.
Substitutions
source-listed alternative
all-purpose is more common