Sole wrapped in prosciutto with bay leaf sauce

Sole fillets marry very well with Parma ham and combining both with a simple sauce of shallots and bay leaves makes this a lovely main course dish. For guests who don’t eat meat, simply cook the fish without the Parma ham.

Sole wrapped in prosciutto with bay leaf sauce – Sogliola al prosciutto crudo in salsa d’ alloro

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 16 slices of Parma ham
• 16 fillets of sole, weighing about 3½oz (100g) each, or 8 fillets of sole, weighing 7oz (200g) each cut in half lengthways
• 16 small sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 16 chive leaves (for tying up the fillets)

For the paste: 

• 1¼oz (35g) capers
• ½ garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce: 

• 8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 bay leaves, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 15fl oz (400ml) white wine blended with 1 tsp cornflour
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF or Gas Mark 6). Place the capers, garlic and olive oil in a mortar and grind with a pestle until you obtain a paste.
2. On a clean board, line up the slices of Parma ham, place one sole fillet on each slice, very lightly brush with the caper paste, then top with a sprig of parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully roll up each fillet in the Parma ham slice and tie in place with a chive leaf. Line a baking tray or an ovenproof dish with greaseproof paper and place the rolled fish fillets inside. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, then add the bay leaves, shallots, garlic and parsley. Cook over a medium heat for about 7 minutes, or until the shallots have softened. Add the cornflour and wine mixture to the herbs in the pan. Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
4. Remove the sole fillets from the oven and transfer them to a large serving dish, or onto individual plates, then pour over the sauce before serving.