Equipment
Ingredients
Fish and Wrappings
- 600 g sole fillets, skinless and boneless, divided into 4 portions
- 8 butter lettuce leaves, whole, washed
- 15 g unsalted butter, softened
- kosher salt
- white pepper, finely ground
White Wine Cream Sauce
- 40 g shallots, finely minced
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 120 ml fish stock
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 60 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 382 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 4 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 699 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 142 mg
- Potassium
- 431 mg
- Calcium
- 72 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 40 mg
- Phosphorus
- 437 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 309 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 4.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 28 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.14 mg
- Niacin
- 2.1 mg
- Folate
- 32 mcg
- Water
- 234 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously grease a baking dish with the 15g of softened butter.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice water bath in a mixing bowl. Blanch the butter lettuce leaves in the boiling water for 10 seconds until just wilted but still bright green. Immediately transfer to the ice bath using a slotted spoon.
Remove the lettuce leaves from the ice bath and carefully pat them completely dry with paper towels. Cut out the thickest part of the core stem if it prevents the leaf from lying flat.
Season the sole fillets on both sides with kosher salt and white pepper. Lay out two overlapping lettuce leaves for each fillet. Place a fillet in the center, fold the edges of the lettuce over the fish to encase it completely, and place it seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
Bake the wrapped sole in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F and feels firm to the touch.
While the fish bakes, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the minced shallots, white wine, and fish stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce until only about 60ml (4 tablespoons) of liquid remains.
Lower the heat to medium. Whisk the heavy cream into the reduction and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Whisk in the cold, cubed butter one piece at a time, allowing each to emulsify into the sauce before adding the next. Do not let the sauce boil once the butter is added. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Carefully transfer the baked, lettuce-wrapped sole parcels to warm serving plates. Spoon the hot white wine cream sauce generously over the top and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Patting the lettuce leaves completely dry is crucial; excess water will dilute the sauce and steam the fish unevenly.
- Using white pepper instead of black pepper maintains the pristine, pale color of the cream sauce.
- For an extra layer of flavor, you can place a small sprig of fresh tarragon or chervil inside the lettuce wrap against the sole fillet before rolling.
- If your sole fillets are uneven in thickness, fold the thin tail end underneath itself to create a uniform cylinder before wrapping.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store sauce and fish separately if possible. The lettuce wrapper may lose vibrant color upon reheating.
Reheating: Gently reheat in a 150C/300F oven until just warmed through. Do not boil the sauce or it will split.
Troubleshooting
Lettuce leaves tear when wrapping
Cause: Leaves were over-blanched or the central rib was too rigid
Fix: Patch the tear by overlapping a second blanched leaf around the fish
Prevention: Blanch for no more than 10 seconds and carefully trim thick ribs
Sauce breaks and looks greasy
Cause: Sauce boiled after butter was added, or butter was added too quickly
Fix: Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or cold water to re-emulsify
Prevention: Keep heat very low and whisk cold butter in slowly
Sauce is too thin
Cause: Wine and stock were not reduced enough before adding cream
Fix: Simmer gently to evaporate excess moisture before adding the cold butter
Prevention: Reduce initial liquids to a syrup before proceeding
Cultural Context
Sole Judic is a prime example of classical French haute cuisine, highlighting the delicate, sweet flavor of flatfish. Wrapping ingredients in blanched greens (en crepinette or en papillote style with vegetable matter) protects delicate proteins from harsh oven heat while imparting a subtle earthy flavor, a technique often utilized by mid-20th-century traditionalist chefs.
