Sole with Capers

salt
black pepper
all-purpose flour
olive oil
capers
white wine
salsa al pesto (see recipe)
butter
sole: one 1-pound fish per person
soybean oil

Preheat the oven to medium-hot. Clean the fish, or have it done at the fish market, but don’t bone or fillet it. Dry fish well, season with salt and pepper, and dust both sides lightly with flour.

Pour enough olive oil in an ovenproof pan so that the fish won’t stick, and when it is very hot add the sole. Braise on both sides until golden and pour out excess oil. Add a couple scoops of butter to the pan with the fish and, when the butter begins to melt, add about a teaspoon of pesto and a generous teaspoon of capers per fish. When the butter and pesto have melted together, add a splash of wine.

Cook fish just long enough for the wine to evaporate, then place pan in the oven. Start to check after 5 minutes. Bake until you can pierce the fish to the bone with a fork and there is no resistance.

Remove sole to a warm platter and reduce the sauce over high heat. Bone the fish and serve with the warm sauce poured over it.

This recipe is from my first cookbook, A Tuscan in the Kitchen.