We came across a good buy on sole the other day from Cash and Carry here in Boise. So tonight, we are having the following recipe. At the end of the recipe is a good discussion on the difference between sole and flounder. Enjoy!

Fillet of Flounder or Sole
with
Seasoned Lemon Butter

Prep Time: 5 minute
Cook Time: 30 minutes 

Total Time: 35 minutes 
Serves: 4 

Ingredients: 

1½ pounds Flounder or Sole fillets 
1 t Salt 
⅛ t Pepper
¼ c melted Butter 
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2½ T 
2 t finely minced Onion 
finely chopped fresh Parsley 
Paprika 

Directions: 
Cut fish into serving-size pieces; arranged in buttered shallow baking dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper 

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine melted butter, lemon juice, and minced onion; pour over fish. Sprinkle with paprika; bake at 325° for about 30 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley. 

Note: Sole is a type of flatfish. Dover sole, the most common type, is a member of the Soleidae family. Flounder is also a type of flatfish categorized under Heterosomata. Both fish are flat, with both eyes on one side of their face so they can hide on the ocean floor and watch for prey. While both are oval in shape, flounder is more rounded. Sole are most commonly found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, while flounder is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Both sole and flounder have delicate, flaky flesh and a mild, sweet taste. There are several types of each fish, each with a slightly different flavor, generally considered discernible only by more experienced palates. (Source: http://www.ehow.com) 

Here in North America we have no true sole only flounders. When Europeans came to the Americas they called flounders soles because they looked like the fish they knew in the “old world”. This has led understandably to much confusion over the years. The only true sole would be Dover Sole, Solea solea. Lemon sole is one of the names given to winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, (also known as black back). Usually at the retail level when multiple flounder sku’s are sold; flounder is the name given to the refreshed less expensive product, and sole (or lemon sole) is the name given to the more expensive fresh cut product. Fluke,Paralichthys dentatus also called summer flounder can also be sold as sole fillet. Sometimes there is a distinction between sole and lemon sole with the latter referring to a larger fish or a bigger fillet. All these fresh flounders produce a mild and tender white fillet when cooked, so as long as they are fresh I don’t think it matters much what you call them. The refreshed (previously frozen) fillets can be of varying quality, because they usually contain sodium preservative solutions that have you paying for water. Go with fresh when possible. (Source: http://seafoodshop.blogspot.com)