Sautéed Almond Sole

With its delicious pairing of the crispy almonds with the tender fish, this recipe wins hands down over the bread-crumb treatment of sole.  This is one of the few times when I saute a fish rather than broil or bake it.  This is not a good dish to make when serving more than six people, as the fish should be served immediately.  However, as noted below, the uncooked fillets may be prepared several hours ahead.

Ingredients
6 fillets of Sole, Flounder, or Fluke
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups finely chopped almonds
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges for garnish

Sprinkle the fillets with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Dip the fillets in flour and shake to remove any excess (the fillets should only be dusted with flour).

Next, dip both sides of the fillets in egg whites and then in the almonds, patting to cover well.

Remove to a rack or waxed paper and allow to dry for at least 10 minutes. (You may do this several hours ahead of time, keeping the fillets in the refrigerator on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.)

Heat butter and oil in a heavy sauté pan. As soon as it is very hot, add the fillets, making sure they do not touch one another. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned.

Serve with wedges of fresh lemon and green salad.