Sole Florentine Recipe

This is an elegant fish dish that is served on a bed of spinach.

Like many of the Italian dishes with “Florentine” in their name, this dish features a bed of spinach. The recipe begins by poaching the fish fillets in white wine. The remaining wine-fish broth is used for the creamy wine sauce. The recipe also features a hollandaise served over the fish.

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• ½ cup butter, frozen
• 1 Tbs cold water
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Wine Sauce

• 3 Tbs butter
• 3 Tbs flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 cup light cream

Fish

• 6 fillets of sole (about 2½ pounds)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbs fresh tarragon leave (or 2 tsp dried tarragon)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 10 ounce packages of frozen, chopped spinach

Directions

Hollandaise Sauce

1. Combine the egg yolks, frozen butter, water, lemon juice and salt in a sauce pan.
2. Stir constantly over medium heat with a whisk, until the butter melts and the sauce is smooth.
3. Once the sauce is smooth remove from the heat. Allow the sauce to cool.

Fish & Spinach

1. Defrost and drain the spinach.
2. Rinse the fish fillets and pat dry. Brush both sides of the fish fillets with lemon juice.
   Fold the fish fillets into thirds, with the dark side inside.
3. Arrange the fillets in a single layer in a large skillet.
4. Sprinkle the shallot, tarragon, and salt over the fish fillets.
5. Pour the wine over the over the fish fillets and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the wine to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.
6. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until the fish just begins to flake. Do not over cook.
7. Gently lift out the fish fillets and keep warm.
8. Boil the sauce for another 5 minutes.
9. Strain the sauce into a bowl or measuring cup.

Wine Sauce

1. In the skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
2. Stir the flour, salt, and pepper into the butter.
3. Slowly stir in the sauce from the fish and the light cream.
4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.

Fish & Spinach Cont.

1. Stir 1/3 of the wine sauce into the spinach, mixing well.
2. Spread the spinach evenly into the bottom of a 12”x8” broiler-proof casserole dish.
3. Place the fish fillets evenly over the spinach.
4. Pre-heat the broiler.
5. Spoon the remaining wine sauce over the fish fillets.
6. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the fish fillets.
7. Cook under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the top is golden-brown.