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Meunière literally means “miller’s wife” in French, so the name presumably acknowledges the skill of these women at this preparation. The technique may be used to cook several types of fish, either whole or cut into fillets, darnes, or tronçons. Sole meunière is probably the most famous of all classic dishes prepared in this manner.
When cooked à la meunière, fish is always seasoned, lightly floured, and then fried in clarified butter. Once the fish is removed from the pan, whole butter is added and browned to the nut-brown (noisette) stage. In French, this is referred to as beurre noisette. Fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley are added to the browned butter and then the hot butter mixture is spooned over the hot fish just before serving. Frogs’ legs, scallops, and brains can also be prepared à la meunière. It is important that this dish be served extremely hot so that the butter does not begin to pool or solidify.