How to Pan Fry Fish Fillets Recipe
How to Pan Fry Fish Fillets
For some reason I fall into the trap of associating cooking fish with being overly complex. I believe my reality about cooking fish has been distorted by watching too many chefs prepare it on cooking shows.
Their fancy creations make cooking fish look complicated when in fact pan frying fish fillets is straight forward, fast and flavorful. Perfect for weeknight cooking!
Here are the steps I use to pan fry frozen sole fillets.
Thaw First
When using frozen fish fillets, thaw them first. Leave them in the fridge overnight or thaw them under cold running water for about 10 minutes.
To remove the excess moisture from the fish fillets, I give them a spin in my salad spinner. Saves using loads of paper towel. Works great!
Dredge in Flour
Once the excess moisture is removed, dust each fillet in flour.
For extra flavor I use 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. Then I season it with one tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. I follow my favorite television chef's (Michael Smith) advice. His tip is to use 1 tablespoon of your favorite fish seasoning per cup of flour. I also add a few big pinches of salt and pepper.
Cook in Butter and Oil
From past cooking experiences I've learned butter burns easily.
To prevent butter from burning, without losing the butter flavor, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium heat. Add the fish fillets to the skillet once the butter has melted.
Sole fillets are thin and cook quickly. Two to three minutes per side is all it takes.
Four to six minutes later you have delicious golden brown fish fillets like these!
Drizzle with Lemon Juice
To make a quick sauce, add more butter to the pan along with freshly squeezed lemon juice, after you've removed the fillets. Stir over medium-low heat scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Or simply drizzle the cooked fillets with fresh lemon juice - much easier. Pairs really well with the Italian seasoning!!!