• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
She's Cookin' | food and travel

She's Cookin' | food and travel

culinary travel with a side of heart healthy recipes and libations

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking + Sweets
    • Breakfast-Brunch
    • Drinks
    • Heart Healthy
    • Main Dish
    • Meatless Monday
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Sides
    • Soups
    • Veggies
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • Travel
    • Belize
    • CHINA
      • Beijing
      • Hong Kong
      • Shanghai
    • EUROPE
      • Amsterdam
      • Brussels
      • Cannes
      • Paris
      • Ireland
    • JAPAN
      • Osaka
    • U.S.
      • Central Coast, CA
      • Chicago
      • Eureka Springs, AR
      • Gulf Coast, MS
      • Huntington Beach, CA
      • Idaho
      • Little Saigon, CA
      • Louisville, KY
      • Malibu, CA
      • Napa Valley
      • North Carolina
    • Tours – Food and Farm
    • Travel Guides
  • OC Dining & Events
    • Anaheim
    • Brea
    • Costa Mesa
    • Dana Point
    • Huntington Beach
    • Irvine
    • Laguna Beach
    • Newport Beach
    • Orange
    • Santa Ana
    • Sushi restaurants
    • Tustin
    • Westminster
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let’s Work Together
    • General Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy

Happy Birthday! Julia Child’s Sole Meuniére

August 15 by Priscilla Leave a Comment

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit

Today marks the 106th birthday of the legendary Julia Child who, in 1963, charmed and inspired American cooks to try their hand at French cuisine on WGBH Boston’s pioneering television series, The French Chef.

Julia Child laughing in the kitchen

(Image credit: Paul Child/WGBH)

In her exuberant, jovial style she made French cooking approachable and, most of all, fun! Julia loved to have fun! The French Chef was one of the first cooking shows on American television and Julia captivated Americans yearning to eat and entertain in the French manner.  News of her upcoming birthday prompted me to revisit her book “My Life In France“, which was the impetus for my quest for Sole Meuniére when I first traveled to France. Sole Meuniére entered culinary fame as the dish that captured her heart on that first day in Rouen as she and her husband Paul headed to Paris in 1948. Written in Julia’s own words, “My Life In France” begins in the fall of 1948 as she and Paul disembark the SS America in Le Havre and, in humorous and mouthwatering detail, chronicles Julia finding her “true calling”.

Led by Guide Michelin to Restaurant La Couronne in Rouen, Julia describes their first lunch together in France as “absolute perfection” and “the most exciting meal of my life”.  Although Rouen is famous for their duck dishes, after consulting with the waiter, Paul orders Sole Meuniére:

It arrived whole: a large, flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection.

Sole Meunière with boiled potatoes

Sole Meuniére with boiled potatoes at Au Petit Riche in Paris 9th arr.

Like Julia, I find Sole Meuniére to be simply divine, so when I’m in France it’s either Sole Meuniére. Or Duck Confit. And copious amounts of foie gras, French cheeses, oysters, fresh baguettes and buerre d’Isigny… To honor her formidable drive and robust spirit, I give you Julia’s classic preparation for Sole Meuniére from her book, The Way to Cook, by Julia Child, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Sole Meunière with ratatouille in Honfleur.

Sole Meuniére with ratatouille in Honfleur.

I have made Sole Meunière at home and substituted Petrale sole. Dover sole may be hard to source, and expensive, but its sweet thin filets are remarkable.

Sole Meunière with boiled potatoes
Print
Julia Child’s Sole Meuniére

The dish that made Julia fall in love with France is deceptively simple and its success lies in the execution. Once you savor the tender, sweet white fish swathed in browned butter and a spritz of lemon, you'll understand the popularity of this classic French dish.

Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: fish, french, sole
Servings: 4 servings
Author: The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Ingredients
  • 4-6 boneless fillets of sole
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 5-6 Tablespoons clarified butter
  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • lemon wedges
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoon capers optional
Instructions
  1. Lay out and pat dry the fillets. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Dredge in a light coating of flour, removing excess.

  3. In a skillet on medium-high heat, pour clarified butter in and allow to heat just before browning.

  4. Place fillets in, not overcrowding the pan. About 3-4 in a large skillet. Brown on one side for about 1-2 minutes and flip over to brown other carefully

  5. Remove fish to a platter and add capers to butter, if using for another minute. Pour capers and butter over fish.

  6. Garnish with lemon and fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes

This dish comes together quickly, so measure your ingredients ahead of time. Also, to aid you in perfecting your technique, once the fish is in the pan, don't disturb it for at least a minute. Left alone, it will form a nice, golden crust.

Check out TODAY.com for a few of the ways to celebrate around the country: https://www.today.com/…/celebrate-julia-child-s-birthday-co…

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit

Related

You Might Also Like:

  • The Ritz Prime Seafood cocktails | ShesCookin.com
    Ritz Prime Seafood Offers Extended Tax Day Happy Hour

    I don't know about you, but we'll be joining thousands of others on Tax Day,…

  • German Chocolate Cake, Susie Cakes
    Get Happy at Susie Cakes

    Happiness and cake go hand-in-hand and, now that California's favorite bakery has arrived at Costa…

  • Paul Martin's American Grill Happy Hour

    Irvine Spectrum is hot, hot, hot right now with three highly anticipated openings: Capital Seafood,…

Category Main Dish| Seafood| She's Cookin' Tags fish| Julia Child| Sole Meuniére

Previous
3rd Annual Tastemakers of Orange County at Segerstrom Center
Next
Penn Cove Mussels For a Perfect Moules Marinière
logo
Food Advertising by

Reader Interactions

We love hearing from our readers! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get Adventures by Email

logo
Food Advertisements by

Travel with Me

logo
Food Advertisements by

Top Posts

10 Naturally Delicious Sodium Substitutes
10 Heart Healthy, Low Sodium Recipes to Stay Healthy All Year
Holiday Cocktails for Bourbon Lovers
Low Sodium Homemade Country Biscuits
5 Everyday Foods That Go Well With Port Wine
Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breast
logo
Food Advertisements by
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • OC Dining & Events
  • Travel
  • About

Footer