EVER SINCE I READ JULIA Child’s book “My Life in France,” I’ve been wanting to cook Sole Meunière.

It was the first French dish Julia ate on her first trip to France with her husband Paul.

In the book, she describes it in glowing terms. The Dover sole “was perfectly browned in sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top,” she wrote. The flesh of the sole was “delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter.”

The dish sparked Julia’s interest in French food, and later led her to take cooking lessons at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. (And the rest, as we all know, is culinary history.)

In the film “Julie and Julia,” one of the scenes recreated the Sole Meunière that was served to Julia and Paul Child. The butter sizzled around the fish while the waiter carefully sliced the fish and served it to the couple. It looked so delicious it made me want to stop procrastinating and really cook Sole Meunière already.

While I’ve tasted it in restaurants abroad, I haven’t seen it lately in any restaurant in Manila. Cooking it myself, I thought, would be the one sure way I could taste this glorious dish again.

I’ve cooked the dish once while taking a class at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. But at that time, we used flounder fillet.

I wanted to cook a whole fish, the way it was presented in the movie. However, since there’s no whole Dover sole in the market, I had to use the local dapa, a flat flounder with grayish outer skin and inner white flesh.

In keeping with the French spirit, I decided to use French butter (the President brand, available in large supermarkets). I made sure to clarify the butter, though, before using it so it doesn’t burn while the fish is cooking.

The result was a succulent dish with crisp outer texture and delicate interior. It had a lightness that was perfectly balanced by the richness of the butter and acidity of the lemon. The wonder of it was that it wasn’t difficult to cook at all. In fact, it’s a simple, straightforward dish. Savoring it, I understood why Julia Child described her first taste of Sole Meunière as an epiphany.

Here’s a recipe of one of Julia’s favorites, Sole Meunière.

Sole Meunière

1 whole medium to large sole or flounder (dapa)

Salt and pepper

1/3 c clarified butter (see recipe)

1/3 -½ c all-purpose flour

2 tbsp chopped parsley

½ c (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes

2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 whole fresh lemon, sliced for serving or garnish (optional)

Clean fish well, making sure to remove any scale (you can ask the fish vendor to do this). Pat dry with paper towels and season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan (preferably oval-shaped), heat clarified butter to medium. Dredge both sides of the fish with flour and shake off any excess.

Carefully arrange the fish, bony side down (the skin side should be up), over the clarified butter in the pan. Sauté fish until the bottom side becomes golden brown for 4-5 minutes.

With two heat-proof spatulas, carefully turn the fish over so the skin side is down. Continue sautéing until the fish is fully cooked, about 3-4 more minutes.

While the fish is still in the pan, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Distribute the cubed butter around the fish and let butter melt. Pour lemon juice into the butter. Spoon the lemon butter sauce over the fish.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

If desired garnish with lemon. Or serve the fish with lemon wedges for additional flavoring.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Clarified butter:

1 block butter (around 200-225 g), cut into large cubes

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat until it liquefies and foamy white particles appear on the surface, about five to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain over a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard the solids that remain on the cheesecloth.

The resulting clear liquid is the clarified butter.

Use as directed in recipe above and store any excess butter in refrigerator.

Tips

The fish is cooked when the flesh is no longer glassy and it flakes easily when tested with a fork.

When making clarified butter, cut the butter into large cubes before melting it in the pan so the butter will melt evenly.

Use good quality butter.

Use the excess butter for reheating the leftover fish.