Recipe Of The Day: Shrimp Stuffed Sole

New Years has come and gone. The frenzy of trying to be at the right moment just before midnight is now a memory, one that most of us don’t even care to remember. The thing that we should remember is who we spent that moment with, when the clock struck midnight as we welcomed in 2011. To everyone who has followed us, asked us questions or even recommended something to us, we wish to say Happy New Year and may whatever you set out to accomplish this year, become one step closer to being done.

With that said on to our first Recipe Of The Day: Shrimp Stuffed Sole w/ an Amazingly Quick Pan Sauce.

Sole is one of those fish that many people know nothing about, because it usually doesn’t take center stage on any menu. More of a classic standby this fish really doesn’t get its proper respect so we set out today to give you a quick recipe for something that will blow your guests minds and fill their stomachs with possibly the best seafood dish they have eaten in their lives.

This light dish, void of grease and over cooking, is simply something to behold. Nothing says “hey I put time into this dish, so obviously I must like you, or else we’d be eating Fish Filets” like Shrimp Stuffed Sole.

This goes great with a light bottle of Moscato, Sangria or plain and simple Bacardi & Pineapple Juice.

Enjoy and again, Happy New Year.

Ingredients:

6 TBS unsalted butter

2 TBS olive oil

½ cup minced yellow onion

¼ cup minced celery

¼ cup minced green bell pepper

2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped, shells reserved

1 TBS plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 TBS plus 1 teaspoon Supreme Plate Seasoning (recipe follows)

1 tsp Kosher Salt, plus more for seasoning

¼ tsp plus a pinch cayenne pepper

2 TBS finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for fish

3 TBS sliced green onions, plus more for fish

½ cup plus 4 teaspoons dry bread crumbs

2 whole Pacific sole (1 ½ to 2 lbs each), heads removed and deboned for stuffing whole

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon slices

3 TBS minced shallots

¼ cup dry white wine

1 cup water or canned, low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

2 tsp red hot sauce (recommended: Sriracha Hot Sauce)

Lemon wedges, for serving

Supreme Plate Seasoning:

2 1/2 TBS               Paprika

2 TBS                      Kosher Salt

2 TBS                      Garlic Powder

1 TBS                      Black Pepper

1 TBS                      Onion Powder

1 TBS                      Cayenne Pepper

1 TBS                      Dried Oregano

1 TBS                      Dried Thyme

¼ TBS                    Brown Sugar

1 tsp                        Dark Chili Powder

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Directions:

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the 2 sole with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt 3 1/2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat.

Add the olive oil, and, when hot, add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the shrimp, 4 teaspoons of the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the Supreme Plate Seasoning, 
1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the green onions and set aside to cool.

Once the shrimp mixture has cooled, add 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs and stir to combine well.

Season the inside of each fish with 1/4 teaspoon of the remaining salt and season lightly with black pepper.

Divide the shrimp stuffing evenly among the pockets in the 2 sole and fold the top fillets over the stuffing so that it is mostly enclosed.

Top with lemon slices, chopped parsley, chopped scallions, salt and pepper.

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the fish is just cooked through and lightly golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, make the pan sauce by melting 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until the shells are lightly golden, toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the shallots and remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the white wine and cook until evaporated, 1 minute.

Add the water or broth, heavy cream, remaining 1 teaspoon of Supreme Plate Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and hot sauce and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook, stirring occasionally and using the spoon to mash the shells into the sauce, until the liquid is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the shells to release as much liquid as possible, and then return the sauce to the saucepan.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of green onions and keep warm until ready to serve the fish.

When the fish is done, remove it from the oven and divide each fish into portions and transfer to serving plates.

Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk the remaining butter into the warm sauce. Serve the warm sauce ladled over the fish.

Pass the lemon wedges at the table.