Here’s an easy Spring dinner that’s easy to make but looks and tastes impressive. This dish uses sole (either Dover or Petrale), a type of flounder that is primarily caught between December and April along the West Coast, from Alaska to Baja. Sole is a firm, white fish with a delicate, mild, and sweet flavor. It is a low-fat fish, making it a healthy protein source.
Sole is a dish that holds a special place in my heart, a frequent guest on our dinner table while I was growing up in San Francisco. Its availability and simple preparation made it a staple in our home. I learned to appreciate fish from an early age, and having sole was a significant part of that journey.
I think I might have mentioned that I’m partial to anise-licorice-fennel flavor profiles, and there’s a reason I’ve chosen the herbs I have for this dish—anise flavors go amazingly well with fish. If you are unfamiliar with chervil, it is a lovely, fern-like herb that looks like parsley but has an anise flavor profile. It goes well with tarragon and dill, which I’ve included here. These herbs make the perfect seafood mix! But if, for some reason, you can’t find chervil, Italian parsley will do in a pinch.
This dish cooks very quickly once it’s been prepared—usually about 10-12 minutes- so have everything you are serving ready.
For this recipe, you will need a somewhat deep frying pan with a cover.
Shrimp Stuffed Sole
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 cup cooked shrimp meat
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste (taste test the shrimp first)
- A few small sprigs of dill
- A spring of tarragon
- A few sprigs of chervil
- 8 sole filets
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a frying pan; add the shallot and sauté until soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, place the cream cheese into a bowl and work it with a silicon spatula until it softens and becomes spreadable. Add the shrimp and shallot and gently blend them into the cheese.
Lay the fresh herbs on a cutting board and mince them together; add them to the shrimp, gently blending them into the mixture. Taste and add salt & pepper, if needed. Again, this will depend on how salty the shrimp is.
Pat the sole filets dry with paper towels, if needed. Lay them on a surface, crisscrossing them one on top of the other. Add a large spoonful of the filling in the center of the fish, then fold the ends over, starting with the ones on the bottom. Flip them over seam-side-down to cook.
Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan over medium-high heat, swirling it to cover the bottom. Place the stuffed filets into the pan and cover them—they will essentially steam inside the pan. Check them after 10 minutes—they are done when they are opaque white.
Be sure to spoon some of the buttery cooking sauce over the fish!
Garnish with additional herbs, lemon, and chive flowers if desired. Serves 4.
