sole, micro fennel; potatoes, chives, crumbs; flowering kale

Sole is what many folks think of when they think of heavenly fish. It is heavenly, but I think its most empyrean aspect may be its texture. Yeah, divine, and I think the northwest Atlantic gray sole may be the finest of all.

We enjoyed it once again this past Friday night (April 28), in almost the simplest preparations imaginable.

  • four 3-and-a-half-ounce gray sole fillets from Pura Vida Seafood, dried thoroughly, salted and brushed with a good white wine vinegar, sautéed in a olive oil and a bit of butter, turning once, then removed to 2 plates, the pan wiped with a paper towel before 2 or 3 tablespoons of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, 2 tablespoons or so of juice from a Fantastic Gardens of Long Island sweet local lemon, and a bit of micro fennel from Windfall Farms were introduced and allowed to heat for a minute or so, that sauce spread onto the sole, which was served with lemon quarters

  • nearly a pound of small Red Norland Potatoes from Berried Treasures, boiled in well-salted water, drained, dried in the still-warm vintage Pyrex glass pot, rolled in a little butter, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, sprinkled with scissored chives from Stokes Farm, finished on the plates with a bit of with a small amount of homemade breadcrumbs (browned earlier in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt)