Crab Stuffed Lemon Sole

A delicate flavor and simple preparation make this an ideal dish for an elegant dinner or weeknight family dining.  And as it is stuffed with crab and rolled, everyone seems to find it delightful.

Ready for the Oven



Stuffed and Ready to Roll


If you haven't prepared it before, you will find it easy to work with and generally available in fillets in your local fish mongers case.  As in all things, fresh is better than frozen.  Lemon sole is a flatfish native to shallow seas around Northern Europe.  It's really not 'sole' and neither does it have a lemon taste and reasons for the name vary widely among authors.  But what's important to you is that it is not 'fishy' in taste or smell and is white and flaky when properly prepared.  Ask your fish monger for evenly sized pieces if possible and purchase one per person.

Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon chopped (or dried) parsley
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

6 ounces (1 can) fancy lump crab meat
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (or other favorite seafood seasoning)
6 pieces, fillet of lemon sole
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup white wine

Prepare a baking dish by brushing it with olive oil or food release.  Mix together the first six ingredients shown above.  Gently fold in the crab.

Rinse the sole and use a paper towel to dry each piece.  Lay several fillets of the sole on a work surface and sprinkle with seasoned salt or other favorite seafood seasoning.  Spread about a tablespoon of the crab stuffing on each piece.  Roll from end to end and place in the baking dish.  Repeat until all fillets are stuffed and rolled.  At this stage you may cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Brush each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika.  Poor white wine around, not over, the fish rolls.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes until cooked through and the internal temperature is approximately 140-145F.

The stuffed lemon sole can be served alone or with your favorite sauce.  The roasted red pepper sauce I made with crab cakes and posted here three weeks ago works particularly well.

Comments