Sole Normande

You'll need: 15g unsalted butter · 2 banana shallots, finely diced · 1 small carrot, thinly sliced · 1 stick celery, finely sliced · a pinch of fine sea salt

This is the mirepoix, the quiet foundation everything else stands on. A wide, shallow pan, low heat, a small knob of butter, never olive oil. When it melts without foaming aggressively, in go the shallots, carrot, and celery, seasoned with a pinch of salt. Sweat them slowly, no colour, no browning, 8 to 10 minutes, drawing out their sweetness rather than rushing past it. You'll know it's done when the vegetables are completely soft and translucent, the shallots almost melted, no browning anywhere, the kitchen smelling gently sweet.

You'll need: 200ml dry Norman cider or dry white wine · 150ml good fish stock · 200g mussels, cleaned and debearded (Scottish Blue Mussels, if you can find them)

Pour the cider or wine straight over the softened vegetables, heat up to medium, a lively simmer for 2 minutes to burn off the raw alcohol. Add the fish stock, bring back to a gentle simmer, then the mussels, lid on, 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. The moment they open, lift them out, discard any that stayed shut. Strain the whole poaching liquid through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the vegetables, wipe the pan clean, return the strained liquid. That's your fond built, golden, clear, smelling of the sea with a warm cider note behind it.

You'll need: 2 Dover sole fillets, skin removed (Cornish, if you can find them)

The sole goes in now, and it deserves to be handled gently. Ne cachez jamais un bon poisson. Bring the liquid to the quietest possible simmer, barely a tremble, slide the fillets in one at a time, mostly submerged. Poach for 3 to 4 minutes only, don't walk away, don't let it boil. Official food safety guidance recommends fish reaches an internal temperature of 63°C, easily reached at a gentle poach without toughening the fish. Lift the fillets out onto a warmed plate, cover loosely with foil to rest. Wash your hands and any utensils that touched the raw fish before touching anything else.

You'll need: 100ml double cream · 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked · 40g cold cultured butter, cut into small cubes (Estate Dairy, if you can get it)

The gate that separates a good Sole Normande from a great one. Reduce the poaching liquid by roughly half over medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes, syrupy at the edges. Stir in the cream, reduce another 2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Take the pan off the heat entirely, this part needs the heat gone. Ladle a spoonful of the hot sauce into your whisked egg yolk to temper it, then whisk the tempered yolk back into the pan, off the heat, never return it to direct heat after this or the sauce will split. Now mount with the cold butter, a cube or two at a time, swirling or whisking gently between each addition, until the sauce turns glossy and holds its line when you draw a finger across the back of a spoon.

You'll need: Half a lemon · a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped · a few sprigs of chervil, if available · Maldon sea salt, to finish

Spoon the sauce generously over the resting sole. Tuck the mussels back in around it, just long enough to warm through in the residual heat. A little lemon juice, not much, just enough to lift it. Scatter the parsley, and the chervil if you have it. A touch of Maldon salt flaked over the top. Vouloir c'est pouvoir. That's Normandy on a plate.