FILLETS OF SOLE FRANCESE AND LEMON-BASIL PASTA

Fillets of Sole Francese and Lemon-Basil Pasta image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Salt
1 pound long-cut pasta, such as vermicelli or spaghetti
4 sole fillets, 7 to 8 ounces each
Black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), 4 times around the pan
4 to 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves, shredded or torn
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced small

Steps:

Place a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook it to al dente; it should still have a bite to it. Heads up: you will need to use a ladleful of the starchy cooking liquid for the sauce before you drain the pasta.
While the pasta cooks, rinse and pat the fish dry, then season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with the half-and-half or milk. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter has melted and is hot, dip the fillets in the egg mixture, then transfer them to the skillet. Cook the fillets for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until deeply golden brown.
While the fish cooks, zest the lemons. Heat the EVOO in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the lemon zest and garlic to the EVOO. Sweat the garlic for 2 minutes, then add the wine and reduce for 30 seconds. Add a ladle of the starchy pasta water and the juice of 1 of the lemons and reduce for 30 seconds more. Turn off the heat.
When the fish is done, transfer it to serving plates and add the juice of the remaining lemon to the pan. Turn the heat off. Let the lemon juice combine with the pan juices, then spoon the juices over the fish.
Drain the pasta well and add to the garlic-lemon-wine sauce. Add the basil and toss the pasta for 1 minute to absorb the flavors. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Serve the pasta alongside the fish garnished with cubes of plum tomato.