How to cook whole dover sole in the oven

I love mild, white fish. Light, flaky, lemony and a little salt and pepper. With a thinner fish like Dover sole or flounder I like to keep it simple. A meatier fish like halibut or striped bass may call for a poaching in tomato garlic sauce or a mango salsa, respectively. But with a light, white fish like sole - less is more. Baked Dover Sole is one of my favorite, no-fuss dinners to make.

Baked Dover Sole or Flounder is a Light, Healthy Dinner Option

When shopping for fish I do prefer wild caught fish. I'm not one to buy the "farm raised" since I don't know much about the conditions or cleanliness of such places. Therefore, I tend to stick with something that was caught in the wild sea! This is a personal choice of mine, and you are welcome to make your choice as well.

Dover sole or flounder are one of my favorite types of seafood. I can usually find one or the other at the fish counter of my local supermarket. I have two favorite ways to prepare it. This Baked Dover Sole recipe here and a fried version which I hope to share with you in the coming months. This baked fish is a great, light healthy meal and I sautéed some carrots as a simple side dish. I also have a fantastic Simple Veggie Medley Sauté which would also be great with this fish. You could just as easily make a nice salad or steam some broccoli.

Cooking seafood at home is so easy and a fraction of the cost you'd pay ordering take-out. Hope you enjoy this!

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Baked Dover Sole with Lemon & Onion

• Author: Stacey
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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I love a mild, white fish! Lemon & onion are a perfect match with this easy baked Dover Sole. Low-maintenance, healthy and delicious.

Probably the poorest cousin to all the flat fish, lemon sole shares an unpopular postcode with plaice (although the latter deserves a more up-and-coming neighbourhood, surely).

Its flesh cannot match the rich, flaky turbot or the firm, flavoursome Dover. Truth be told, it turns mushy very quickly.

It is rather good for fishcakes – although filleting is best left to the fishmonger – or goujons. It's no good for a pie because it's not firm enough, and forget about the fish and chips treatment for the same reason.

How to prepare lemon sole?

What to do with the poor cousin then? I think it depends on the size. If you buy large, fat fillets of the sole, you can make this exquisite dish of lemon sole cooked with creamy Parmesan sauce.

But the whole medium-size fish is perfect for a completely hassle-free cooking exercise as seen below, provided you have bought your fish cleaned and gutted, as you undoubtedly would.

How to roast whole sole

It couldn't be easier: the fish roasts it whole on a bed of lemons, lavishly basted with butter. This approach actually works well for lemon sole's more affluent relatives as well as the likes of sea bass and sea bream.

All you need to do is slice the lemons (or limes if you prefer) and spread them in a roasting dish to make a bed for the fish. Any aromatics will be welcome too: ginger or herbs, chilli and garlic if you're after a stronger sensation.

With a small drizzle of wine, vermouth or simply water, to create a little steam in the oven, that’s the roasting bed ready for the sole. Arrange the fish dark side up (which is NB much fleshier and nicer than the other side) with a couple of incisions made across the skin, to let the heat permeate.

Brushing with butter is obligatory: before it goes into the oven and another time halfway through the roasting time. Don’t skip it, it really makes a difference both to the flavour and the texture.

I’m afraid I can’t recommend vegan options as in my view, in recipes like this the French have it sussed: butter, butter and more butter.

It takes around half an hour to cook it, give or take 5 minutes depending on size anomalies, but absolutely no longer than that.

What is roasted lemon sole like?

Surprise, surprise: it’s really tasty and, unless you keep that poor thing in the oven for inordinately long, not mushy.

You can pull the dark skin off to serve it if you like, or just let the diners fend for themselves.

More sole recipes

I mentioned lemon sole fillets above, and it’s a delightful dish they can make, cooked in creamy Parmesan sauce.

Dover sole is frankly a much superior fish in taste and texture so it only needs a simple treatment: grilled, served with caper butter.

More easy fish recipes

Deconstructed fish and chips: here’s cod and crispy, herby potato bake. A simple dish and always a winner.

Cooking whole fish again, but this time under the grill: sea bream with balsamic marinade.

One of those dishes that look like a lot of effort to impress but are in fact incredibly easy: halibut steamed atop braised leeks and carrots.

How to cook a whole Dover sole?

How long does it take to cook a sole in the oven?

Can Dover sole be cooked with skin on?