poisson meunière

Poisson Meunière

Fresh fish fillets are lightly dusted with flour and pan-seared in butter until golden brown, creating a crisp exterior while keeping the flesh tender and moist. A simple sauce of browned butter, lemon juice, and parsley is spooned over the fish, adding bright, nutty, and aromatic flavor that complements the delicate seafood.

During cooking, the butter foams and browns slightly, enhancing richness and creating a lightly nutty aroma. Gentle handling preserves the fillets’ texture while coating them with the lemony, buttery sauce. The preparation emphasizes careful searing and simple, high-quality ingredients for a classic, elegant Poisson Meunière.

This recipe is part of my Seven Fishes tapas.

Print Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Seafood
French
Seven Fishes
Servings: 2

Equipment

  • skillet

Ingredients

Fish Fillets

  • 2 sole or haddock filets, ½ lb total
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • coarse Kosher salt
  • coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. light cooking oil
  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Beurre Noisette

  • 2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. capers, drained
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions 

Prep

  • Heat saute pan over medium-high heat.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the filets.
  • Dredge each filet in flour and shake off any excess flour.

Sauté

  • Heat oil in the pan and add butter until it is melted and stops foaming.
  • Saute filets until brown (3-5 minutes), then flip and brown the other side (3-4 min).
  • Transfer filets to the serving plate.

Sauce

  • Sprinkle filets with fresh chopped parsley.
  • In a light-colored sauce pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter, stirring until brown.
  • Remove browned butter from the heat and toss in lemon and capers.
  • Pour beurre noisette over filets to sizzle the parsley.