Dover sole is sold fresh and frozen whole, headed and gutted as well as dressed, and in fillets, however, it is nearly always filleted due to its slimy skin. A fish like Dover sole, often sold as Sole Meunière, is a high-ticket item. It's a rich, buttery fish. Tel: 0171 240 2565. The sole meunière (or sole à la meunière) is one of the most expensive items on restaurants’ menus these days! New York's 21 Club sells it with a lemon beurre blanc for $76 a pop. “It’s certainly not particular to Dover.” With lemon sole, the naming issue is even more acute: technically it isn’t even part of the sole family. The dover sole is the preferred variety: a flatfish with light brown skin, the meat is celebrated for being both delicate, firm and extremely flavorful. Since real Dover sole is flown in from Europe, it's an expensive to buy, which means it's going to be expensive on the menu. Dover sole are also known as “slime” or “slippery” sole because they excrete mucous that makes them difficult to hold. Step 1 Check the color of your Dover sole fillet for proper tone. The fish is also said to be simple to debone, so it is easy to prepare the fish for cooking. Why is Dover sole so expensive? Dover sole is a white fish, meaning that does not contain the same high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids as most oily fish. - A $76 Dover sole A fish like Dover sole, often sold as Sole Meunière, is a high-ticket item. Health Benefits of Dover Sole. We recommend preparing it by steaming, poaching with wine, a la meuniere, or grilling with lemon wedges. Now at my locations, you can purchase it by the pound or by a meal. True Dover sole, which comes only from the waters surrounding Europe, can be quite expensive, but Pacific Dover sole provides a readily available alternative. The Grosser Kurfurst … Dover sole fish, for example, generally runs about $6–$8 per pound while … Because of the thin, delicate fillets, dover sole is best suited to the above methods rather than dry heat like baking or boiling; this will help avoid overcooking. I would think Whole Foods would only list it as true Dover Sole… Dover sole has tender, moist flesh that shines in the kitchen. Sole fish, on the other hand, are mostly saltwater fish and members of the flatfish family. “We’ve no idea why dover sole has the dover part of its name,” shrugs Paul Day, fisherman and owner of Sussex Fish. The fishermen soon moved the name of the fish slightly up the cost and called it ‘Dover Sole’, and sales picked up and continued as before. Eating Out: Dover sole, Dover-priced J SHEEKEY 28/32 St Martin's Court, London WC2. European Dover sole is celebrated because as a cooking ingredient it is versatile and firm. My Whole Foods had had dover sole more than once for around $10/pound. Because of this incident people stopped buying the fish known as ‘Folkestone Sole’. The style of restaurant. I was always left wondering why in the heck dover sole was so ungodly expensive at a restaurant when I can buy it cheaper than some salmon. Both soles have clean-tasting, slightly sweet flesh and are very popular in a range of seafood dishes, according to the Fine Seafood Company. The difference between the Dover sole fish and the lemon sole fish is that lemon soles have rounder bodies and lighter coloration on their dark side (the side without the eyes). - A $76 Dover sole. Well that depends on the restaurant. Open daily, 12-3pm for lunch (3.30pm on Sunday) and 5.30-midnight for dinner. Perhaps surprisingly, both dover sole and lemon sole also make the list. The Very Expensive but so Delicate Sole Meuniere. Expensive? The sole fish price is also a bit higher than tilapia fish, making it slightly less affordable.