The Dover sole is the Rolls-Royce of the fish world - it’s a British classic and we should be incredibly proud of it. In London’s five-star hotels (from the Connaught, to the Savoy, to Claridge’s) it has been ordered as a comfort food by customers for years. As it hasn’t become a trendy fish we haven’t started farming it, like sea bass, halibut, cod and salmon - they have become so hip that they are now farmed and the quality isn’t as good.

Dover sole has a stand-alone flavour that doesn’t need to be breadcrumbed, stuffed with lobster mousse or cut into goujons. All it needs is to be pan-fried or grilled. Don’t tart it up. Lemon sole is another favourite - it’s a little less powerful than a Dover sole. My wife, Tana, has always cooked it for our kids - it’s a good way of introducing sole to them as it’s slightly easier on the palate. It’s also a striking white colour, with yellow spots - the kids love to look out for them at the fishmonger’s.

Serves 4

1kg large La Ratte potatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml milk
250g butter
2 shallots, finely sliced
500g peas (frozen petits pois are good)
140ml chicken stock
2 baby gem lettuces, finely shredded
4 x 500g Dover sole on the bone, skinned, heads removed and trimmed
Flour, for dusting
Olive oil for frying
2½ lemons

1 First put the potatoes into a large pan, cover with cold water and season. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain in a colander and peel them while they’re still hot. To mash them use a potato masher, or try pushing them through a fine sieve, which will give you really smooth mash. Meanwhile, heat the milk. Beat 100g of the butter into the mashed potato and season. As the milk boils, add it to the potatoes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

2 Sauté the sliced shallots in about 50g of the butter until soft, add the peas and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour on the chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the peas are cooked and the stock has reduced by half. Stir in the lettuce and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3 Season the sole and lightly dust with flour. Heat up a little oil and 50g of the butter in a large pan. Fry the fish for about 6 minutes on each side until golden and the flesh comes away from the bone. Place each sole on a large plate with a dollop of mash on one side and peas on the other. Put the pan back on the heat, add the remaining butter and swirl until it foams and turns nut-brown. Add a squeeze of lemon and spoon the butter over the fish. Serve with half a lemon on each plate.

Extracted from Kitchen Heaven by Gordon Ramsay, published by Michael Joseph on May 6 at £20, © Optomen Television and Gordon Ramsay, 2004. Food photography © Lis Parsons, 2004, reportage photography © Mark Read and Chris Terry, 2004. Available at the Books First price of £16 plus £1.95 p&p on 0870 160 8080;

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