The Dover sole is the Rolls-Royce of the fish world. It is the tastiest variety of the sole family and, with its firm, deliciously delicate flesh, it is often best served simply. Summer is the time to enjoy this elegant fish, and because we’re heading towards the end of the season, Dover sole will become increasingly rare on the fish counters.

Dover sole has a thick but flat body with a flesh that tastes clean, light and sweet. It has long been a firm favourite in French cuisine, but it is also a British classic and a fish to be proud of.

Sole is a dream to work with in the kitchen, holding together well during cooking. The darker skin (on one side only) can be peeled off with little effort to reveal thick flesh that can be easily filleted. It is incredibly versatile and can be baked, fried, poached or grilled.

My right-hand man, Mark Sargeant, loves using Dover sole in fish fingers, which he serves with mushy peas and home-made tartare sauce. At Claridge’s, we serve it during the summer months with a tarragon scallop mousse and a pea, broad bean and lettuce fricassée. It’s a deliciously light dish but packed full of the flavours of summer.

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Whole Dover sole 
with herb crust

Serves 4

This makes a brilliant, fuss-
free light lunch. The mixed 
herbs in the crust not only look wonderfully vibrant on the plate, but taste so fresh and clean. If you have any crust left over, use it as you would pesto; warmed through with crème fraîche, it makes a delicious pasta sauce.

• 
4 x 500g whole Dover sole, heads removed and trimmed


• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra 
to drizzle


• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp roughly chopped basil

• 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley


• 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

• 
100g freshly grated parmesan

• 100g white breadcrumbs

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/
Gas 6. Remove the skins from the soles, one at a time. Using the back of a knife, scrape from the tail end towards the body to loosen a section of the skin. Hold the fish down from the tail end and grip the loose skin in a cloth. Pull firmly and the skin should come away in one piece. Place the sole on baking trays, generously drizzle with olive oil and season. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes.

2 While the fish is cooking, make the herb crust. Tip the basil, parsley, coriander, parmesan and breadcrumbs into a blender, then blitz briefly. Add the olive oil and blend for a few seconds. You don’t want a purée; it is best if the crust has some texture and is slightly rustic looking. Taste and season well with salt and pepper.

3 Remove the sole from the oven and generously spread the crust over the top. Return the sole to the oven and bake for 
6-8 minutes more, until the fish is just cooked and the crust slightly crisp around the edges. Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes and freshly toasted sour dough or ciabatta, drizzled with olive oil.

Dover sole with caper, anchovy and parsley 
brown butter

Serves 4

A nutty brown butter, flavoured with anchovies and capers, is a perfect match for sole. Roughly chop the anchovies, because they will dissolve into the butter when heated, giving a natural saltiness.

• 
150g slightly salted butter

• 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 
4 x 300-400g whole Dover sole, filleted and skinned


• 6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped


• 3 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed

• Juice of half a lemon


• Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped

1 Begin by clarifying the butter. Melt the butter in a pan over 
a gentle heat, then carefully pour off the golden oil into a jug and discard the milky solids. Set the clarified butter aside to cool.

2 Season the sole fillets on each side. Heat 50g of the clarified butter in a large frying pan. When the butter begins to foam slightly, add the fish and cook for 2 minutes on each side. The fish should be opaque and feel firm, yet springy. Transfer to a plate.

3 Add the remaining clarified butter to the pan and increase the heat. Add the anchovies and capers and cook until nut brown. Remove from the heat and stir 
in the lemon juice and parsley.

4 Spoon the brown butter over the Dover sole and serve with new potatoes and salad.

Rolled Dover sole fillets 
in creamy shallot 
and white wine sauce

Serves 4

The sauce that accompanies this poached sole is light and delicate, with subtle flavours. The rolled fillets add an unusual twist on presentation. Preparing the fillets is actually very easy; just handle the fish gently and roll tightly.

• 8 x Dover sole fillets

• 150-200ml dry white wine

• 150-200ml fish stock

• 2 sprigs of thyme

• 1 tsp white peppercorns

• 1 tsp coriander seeds

• Few sprigs of dill, to garnish

For the sauce

• 
2 banana shallots (or 
5-6 ordinary shallots), 
peeled and finely chopped

• 200ml dry white wine

• 75ml white wine vinegar

• 300ml fish or chicken stock

• 200ml double cream

• Sea salt

For the braised fennel

• 2 heads fennel

• 2 tbsp olive oil


• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 30g unsalted butter, cubed

• 250ml chicken stock

• Leaves from a sprig of thyme


1 Trim the Dover sole fillets to neaten the edges if necessary. Wash and pat dry with kitchen paper. Lay the fillet vertically (stretching away from you) on a chopping board and roll tightly from head to tail. Secure the fish with a cocktail stick to stop it from unravelling during cooking. Chill while you make the sauce.

2 Put the shallots in a medium saucepan, pour over the white wine and white wine vinegar and reduce slowly for 10 minutes until the liquid has almost disappeared. Add the stock and reduce by half. Pour in the cream, bring to the boil and season with salt. Keep warm over a low heat.

3 Cut the fennel heads in half, lengthways. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan until hot. Season the fennel halves and add to the pan, cut-side down. Cook over 
a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until lightly caramelised. Add the butter, a few cubes at time, then pour in the stock. Sprinkle over the thyme leaves, then cover 
the pan with a piece of foil. Braise on a low heat for 10-12 minutes until the fennel is tender.

4 Place the rolled fillets in 
a pan just large enough to hold them snugly so that they don’t unroll while cooking. Pour over enough white wine and 
fish stock to cover the fish completely, and add the thyme, 
white peppercorns and coriander seeds. Simmer gently for 
4-6 minutes or until the fish 
is cooked, depending on the 
size of the fillets.

5 Gently remove the fish from the poaching liquor. Divide the fillets between four plates, spoon over the creamy shallot and white wine sauce and garnish with the sprigs of dill. Serve with the braised fennel alongside.

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