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Health & Fitness

Lemon Sole with Almond Flour

Make this gluten free Lemon Sole in Almond Flour with a lemon-butter-parsley sauce for holiday guests or as a quick and delicious weeknight meal.

So one of my new year's resolutions is most certainly going to be to post one gluten-free recipe per month.  I am starting a little early with this recipe for Lemon Sole with Almond Flour.  Not only is this recipe gluten-free, it is marvelously delicious.  The ingredient list is also reasonably short:  butter, sole, almond flour, lemon, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

My new year's resolution is prompted by the fact that I have several good friends and family members, including my godson, that have Celiac's disease or wheat intolerance.  While gluten is not the evil incarnate to all of us (in fact it has some nutritious qualities), it is something that many people I love simply just can't eat.  And I like people I love to eat what I cook!  I also think that by adding gluten-free recipes to the mix, I can expand my culinary horizons in directions I may not otherwise go.  

So with that introduction, let me tell you a bit about this lemon sole with almond flour.

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Almond flour is an alternative flour that is actually made from ground up almonds.  So if you have a nut allergy in addition to a gluten allergy, this is probably not the recipe for you.  Almond flour is often used in baking, but I had an idea that maybe it was a quick way to infuse a very mild almond flavor, while also substituting for white flour, in a traditional recipe for sautéed sole with a lemon butter sauce.  It turns out that I like it just as well as the classic recipe, and my family had no idea I was substituting.

Sole is a tender and delicate fish with a mild flavor (Read: my kids will usually eat it!).   It also cooks up quick, making it a good week night option for the fam.  I will be the first to confess though, there are most certainly nights where I do a horrendous job of flipping the whole filet of sole to saute it on both sides.  Consequently, I don't always have a beautiful presentation like you would get in a high-end French restaurant.  Just look at the picture.  I tend to like to cut the fish into easy-to-flip size pieces instead of keeping them as a whole filet.  If you find a magic spatula that allows you to flip with ease, tell me where you got it and by all means cook the whole fish filet!  It looks so pretty that way (Someday I will be able to go to cooking school to learn...Sigh.)

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So to cook the sole, you'll want to brown a little butter in a saute pan.  Meanwhile, on a plate dump out about 1/3 cup of almond flour, sprinkle about a teaspoon of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste and evenly distribute it on the plate.  Next, dredge the sole in the flour fixture, flipping it on all sides until there is a light coating on the fish.  You'll want to do this right before you cook the fish.  Don't dredge it and let it sit for 30 minutes or even 3 minutes.  Otherwise, the fish ends up absorbing the flour and it doesn't brown as well.

Next, when your butter has begun to brown, add the fish to the pan.  Cook for 3 minutes and then flip it and cook for 2-3 minutes more until sufficiently browned and cooked through.

The last step is to add a little extra butter to the pan with some chopped parsley and the juice of half of a lemon.  Stir until combined and pour over your fish.  If you'd like to cut out the additional butter, simply squeeze the lemon over the fish and sprinkle with the parsley, salt and pepper.  I do this many a night and it still tastes good.

I recently served up this gluten-free entrée with brown rice and roasted asparagus. Sometimes I opt for white rice and serve it with zucchini and/or green beans.  Either way, it's quick, relatively healthy and super yum, particularly with the almond flour.

I have a feeling I will keep this new year's resolution.  Hopefully better than my usual resolution to lose weight....

Lemon Sole with Almond Flour

 
Recipe Type: Main, Gluten Free

Author: Julie du Pont

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 7 mins

Total time: 12 mins

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lemon sole filets
  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (confirm gluten-free)
  • sea salt and ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp more for sauce
  • juice of half of a lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Pat lemon sole filets dry and cut to a size that is easy to flip with spatula.
  2. Pour almond flour on a large plate and mix in garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  3. Heat 1-2 tbsp of butter (enough to lightly coat pan) over medium high heat until it just begins to brown.
  4. Once butter is almost browned, dredge each piece of lemon sole in the almond mixture, making sure it is lightly coated all over.
  5. Then immediately add lemon sole to pan and saute for 3 minutes and then flip and saute for 2-3 minutes more. Remove lemon sole to serving plate.
  6. Repeat as necessary, adding additional butter to pan as needed.
  7. Add additional tbsp of butter to pan, squeeze in juice of lemon and add parsley to pan. Mix briefly and pour over lemon sole.
  8. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Julie du Pont is a Darien resident, mom and lawyer.  She blogs about food and entertaining at weekend table.  

 

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