Sole fillet with cherry tomatoes is a quick and easy fish recipe, light but full of flavor.
It’s a perfect fish recipe for all seasons, great either hot, with its delicious steaming sauce, or at room temperature for hot summer days.
One pan fish with cherry tomatoes is a very simple dish that does not require great cooking skills, but yields a truly amazing end result that everyone will love.
Sole, a flatfish renowned for its mild and tender flesh, is a versatile ingredient that lends itself perfectly to a variety of cooking techniques. With its delicate flavor, sole provides the perfect canvas for enhancing the taste of accompanying ingredients.
When combined with the bright, juicy sweetness of cherry tomatoes, the resulting harmony is truly a feast for both the eyes and the palate.
This sole recipe is a great way to get even the youngest kids to eat fish. No bones, no waste, just flavor and color!
This is a light recipe, perfect for those who follow a healthy and balanced diet, but don’t want to give up a dish full of flavor.
Now let’s see together how to make an excellent sole fillet with cherry tomatoes. Follow our useful tips for a perfect result!
See also:
- Sea bass baked in foil Ligurian Style
- Baccalà alla Livornese (Salt Cod and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce)
- Baked Monkfish with lemon, rosemary and bread crumbs
- Swordfish in orange juice
- Shrimp with Zucchini Pasta and Cherry Tomatoes
Sole Fillets with Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 Min + clean and fillet the sole if necessary
- Cook Time: 10 Min
- Servings: 2
Ingredients
PLEASE NOTE: The quantity of sole depends of course on the size of the fish. In Italy, in the regions bordering the Adriatic Sea, there are rather small soles. In this case, count only one sole per person. Atlantic sole can reach much larger sizes, so half a sole per person may be the right amount.
- 2 whole sole or 8 small fillets or 4 large fillets (see note above). In the paragraph below, we will explain how to fillet fresh sole. You can also buy ready made fillets, fresh or frozen.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 350 g (3/4 pound) of cherry tomatoes (red and yellow)
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil + more for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
- fine salt
- freshly grated black pepper (optional)
Directions
To make the recipe for Sole Fillets with Cherry Tomatoes, you can use whole sole and fillet it (more on this below), or you can buy ready-made sole fillets, either fresh or frozen. If you use frozen sole fillets, we recommend that you defrost them before starting the recipe.
Step 1) – Wash the cherry tomatoes under running water and cut them in half.
PLEASE NOTE: We used yellow and red cherry tomatoes to add color to the dish. Of course, you can use any cherry tomatoes you like as long as they are ripe.
Step 2) – In a large non-stick frying pan, sauté the garlic cloves in the extra virgin olive oil.
You can leave the garlic cloves whole and then remove them or chop them as you prefer. We left them whole so as not to mask the delicate flavor of the sole.
Add the cherry tomatoes and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they begin to release their juices.
Step 3) – At this point, remove the garlic if you kept it whole and add the sole fillets.
Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
PLEASE NOTE: Sole fillets are very delicate. It’s not necessary to turn them as you risk breaking them. With the lid on, they will cook to perfection in a few minutes.
Step 4) – Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Serve the sole fillets with cherry tomatoes, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and garnished with a handful of chopped parsley.
How to Clean and Fillet a Sole
Step 1) – To clean a sole, start by removing any scales from the sole with a fish scaler remover or kitchen knife.
Next, remove all the fins, using a pair of kitchen scissors for ease.
Now, move on to skinning the sole: use a well-sharpened knife to cut off the head. Then, with one hand, grasp a portion of the skin and pull away until the sole skin is completely removed.
Step 2) – Follow the same steps to remove the white skin. Then remove the intestines by making a not too deep cut in the belly. Pull out the guts bag with your fingers.
Wash the sole well under fresh running water to remove any impurities or traces of blood. Then proceed to the final step: filleting. Using a thin, flexible fish filleting knife, make a central incision from the head to the tail.
Then continue cutting inward toward the center backbone until you get the first fillet. Turn the fish over and continue in the same manner to make the second fillet, being careful not to leave too much meat attached to the center bone.
Storage
Sole fillets with cherry tomatoes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a maximum of a few days.
They can be reheated in a pan for a few minutes or served at room temperature.
In this case, remove them from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.
Sole Fillets with Cherry Tomatoes: Some Variations
You can make some variations on this dish, depending on your taste or the ingredients you have at home.
TOMATO SAUCE: You can substitute two or three tablespoons of tomato sauce for the cherry tomatoes.
WHITE WINE: For a simple version without tomatoes, add half a glass of dry white wine, a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprig of chopped parsley before serving.
CAPERS AND OLIVES: For a little more flavor, add pitted olives or capers.
BASIL: If you prefer the scent of basil, you can use it instead of parsley.
PESTO: Or add a spoonful of pesto to the tomato.
MARINARA: With dried oregano, you can make sole fillets “marinara style” with a fresh Mediterranean flavor.
CHILLI PEPPER: Finally, if you like it hot, you can add a red chili pepper to the garlic and cherry tomatoes. Remember to remove it before serving the sole fillets with cherry tomatoes.
The Sole: Versatile, Delicate and Nutritious
Sole live on sandy seabeds, from shallow shores to depths of more than 50 meters.
The most common species are found throughout the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea.
Species found in the Mediterranean reach up to 30 cm (~12 inch) in length, those found in the Atlantic Ocean even over 50 cm (~20 inch).
Sole has an active mimetic power: it can change color to imitate its surroundings.
In Italy, sole is very abundant in the regions bordering the Adriatic Sea.
In different regions of Italy it’s known by different names according to the dialect. For example, in Emilia Romagna and Marche “sfoia”, in Linguria “lenga” and in Sicily “linguata”.
Sole in cooking is very versatile and tasty. In fact, it can be cooked in many ways: steamed, boiled with oil and lemon, fried, baked or pan-fried, and even crumbled to make tasty sauces to season pasta.
One of its greatest qualities is that it has very few bones and a delicate and delicious flavor. It’s one of the lightest fish, suitable for those on a diet.
Sole meat is lean, digestible and has a delicate flavor. It has an excellent protein content, very little fat, a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and phosphorus.
Sole is also one of the few fish that contain folate. It’s therefore very suitable for pregnant women and children during weaning.
