Sole Meunière

Pat the sole bone-dry on both sides. Season all over with salt and white pepper. Just before cooking, lay the fish in the flour, press lightly, turn, and coat the second side, then lift and pat off every loose speck — you want the thinnest possible veil, not a crust. Flour too early and it goes pasty; flour at the last second so it stays dry and powdery.

Heat the clarified butter in a wide pan until it foams and just begins to smell nutty. Lay the sole in presentation-side down and fry without moving it, 3-4 minutes, until the underside is crisp and deep gold. Flip once with a long spatula and cook the second side 2-3 minutes more, basting the top with the hot butter. The flesh is done the instant it turns opaque and lifts from the bone.

Wipe the pan and return it to medium heat. Drop in the cold butter and let it melt, foam, and then quietly sizzle as the water cooks off. Swirl constantly as the milk solids fall to the bottom and toast from pale to hazelnut brown, 2-3 minutes — pull it the moment it smells of toasted nuts, because it tips from noisette to burnt in seconds.

Off the heat, squeeze the lemon juice into the brown butter — it will hiss and foam — and stir in most of the parsley. Spoon the foaming lemon-butter generously over the waiting sole, scatter the remaining parsley on top, and serve at once with lemon wedges. The sauce should arrive still bubbling, so the fish hits the table at its crispest.