Lenguado

Pat the fillets dry, season them and dust lightly with flour. Fry in a little butter or oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, turning once with a wide spatula; they are ready when opaque and just flake apart.

Look for moist, firm flesh that springs back when pressed, with no brown edges or strong fishy smell. Whole fish should have clear, bright eyes and red-pink gills.

Keep fresh sole covered in the coldest part of the fridge and cook it within 1–2 days of buying. Freeze it sooner if you will not use it in that time, and thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Sole meunière is a well-known preparation: the fish is lightly floured, fried in butter and served with lemon and parsley. Sole also works well baked in parcels with herbs, or rolled around a simple vegetable filling.

Lemon sole or plaice are useful substitutes because their mild flavour and delicate fillets suit similar cooking methods. Plaice is thicker, so it may need a little longer in the pan.

Lemon sole has slightly more protein, with 16.7 g per 100 g compared with 17 g in sole. Both are mild, lean flatfish and can usually be cooked in the same way.

A fillet weighing around 120–150 g is a practical portion for a main meal. It provides 25 g of protein at the larger portion size.

Cook it until the centre reaches 63 °C, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. Thin fillets cook quickly, so start checking them after a few minutes.