Ok, this is fun. I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking shows on PBS – Jacques Pepin, Fast Food My Way. It airs on PBS Channel 13 in the late afternoon on Saturdays. The coating is made from a can of flash fried onions from the can – the kind you put on the top of your Green Bean Casserole at Thanksgiving. Amazing. Who’d uh thunk it????

Now that I have my new favorite food processor, http://www.cuisinart.com/ I can make all kinds of fab food coatings.

I did not make the anchovy butter to go with this. Love anchovies in our house, but I was just too lazy.

Onion-Crusted Sole with Anchovy Butter (no photo of this recipe, so used Jacque)

The acclaimed French chef shares his savory and sophisticated dishes.

“While dining at a friend’s home, I enjoyed a pan-fried fish with a crusty coating that had great flavor and beautiful color. It turned out that the crust was made of fried onions. I thought this was a brilliant idea, and my recipe, made with canned fried onions, is based on that taste memory. Select whatever flatfish is freshest at your fish market, from lemon sole to gray sole to plaice or fluke or Dover sole (the best!). Any thin, flat, white fish fillet, from John Dory to turbot, will work well.

The anchovy butter is great served with grilled, broiled, or pan-fried fish and it is just as good with grilled meat. It will keep refrigerated for a week or so and can be frozen.” – Jacques Pepin

INGREDIENTS
Anchovy Butter
1 can (2 ounces) anchovy fillets in oil
1 large garlic clove, sliced
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine

Sole
2 large eggs
4 sole fillets (each about 6 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (6 ounces) french-fried onions
3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1 lemon, quartered

DIRECTIONS
For the anchovy butter: Process all the ingredients in a food processor or mini chopper until smooth and creamy. If not serving immediately, refrigerate.
For the sole: Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl until smooth and well combined. Pat the fish fillets with paper towels to dry them thoroughly. Sprinkle both sides with the salt. Put the fried onions in a food processor and process until smooth and powdery. Transfer the onion mixture to a large plate or cookie sheet.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or divide the oil between two slightly smaller skillets. Dip the fish fillets in the eggs and then into the powdered onion. Arrange in one layer in the skillet(s) and cook for 11/2 to 2 minutes on each side, until well browned and barely cooked in the center, turning carefully with a large spatula. Transfer to warm plates and serve each with a lemon wedge and a spoonful of anchovy butter on the side. Serves 4.