SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 400-600g whole lemon sole • 45ml sauce vierge • 100g caponata • Lemon wedge For the caponata: • 25g sautéed courgette; 25g sautéed red pepper • 25g sautéed aubergine; 25g sautéed red onion • 50ml rich tomato sauce (or jar of pasta tomato sauce) • 5g roasted pinenuts • 5g capers • Finely chopped fresh basil For the sauce vierge; • Zest of 1 lemon; 1 lemon wedge • 100g large tomatoes • A pinch of chopped flat parsley and chopped basil • Lemon oil (available from all good supermarkets)
METHOD Dice vegetables so that they are just over half an inch in size and sauté in a very hot pan. Combine all vegetables, with tomato sauce, pine nuts, and capers in a hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and finish with the basil. Sauce vierge: With a sharp knife, score the tomatoes with an X at the opposite end to where the stern was once attached. Blanche tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, as soon as they start to blister immediately plunge into iced water until cold, peel, de-seed and roughly dice. Mix herbs, lemon zest and tomato in a large bowl and cover with lemon oil. To complete the dish: De-scale lemon sole, removing all fins, gills, and roe. Then wash and pat dry. Alternatively ask your fishmonger to do this for you. Very lightly butter dark skin side of fish. Heat up a non-stick fish pan and pre-heat oven to 180ºc. Place fish buttered side down in fish pan. Try to avoid shaking fish in pan. Place hot pan into oven and cook for about seven minutess. Warm caponata in a hot pan and place a mound in the centre of plate. Remove fish from oven and lay across caponata with caramelised golden brown skin side facing upwards. Drizzle the sauce vierge along the lemon sole and garnish with the lemon wedge.