Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14 with this light French dish. Pan-fried sole and mushroom drizzled with a butter sauce is a typical French country-style recipe. The simple dish is a great way to serve fresh fish. A meuniere is a miller’s wife, and literally translated the dish means cooked the way a miller’s wife cooks.
Small red potatoes and green beans complement the sole. The recipe can be cooked in the microwave or sauteed. I have given a recipe for both.
Helpful Hints:
– Fillets from any flat fish can be used such as flounder, trout or snapper.
– Add to the cooking time for a thicker fish.
– Count 10 minutes cooking time for a 1-inch thick fillet.
– Any type of sliced mushrooms can be used.
Countdown:
– Start potatoes boiling first.
– Prepare beans.
– Cook fish.
– Finish potatoes and beans.
Shopping List:
To buy: 3/4 pound sole fillet, 1/4 pound sliced baby bello mushrooms, 1 small bunch parsley, 1 small bunch chives, 3/4 pound red potatoes, 1/2 pound green beans, 2 lemons and 1 can olive oil spray.
Staples: flour, olive oil, butter, salt and black peppercorns.
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SOLE MEUNIERE (PAN-FRIED SOLE WITH NUT-BROWN BUTTER AND MUSHROOMS)
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
3/4 pound sole fillet
1/4 cup flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil spray
1/4 pound sliced baby bello mushrooms (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Makes: 2 servings.
1. Rinse sole and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Mix flour with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Dip sole fillets into flour making sure both sides are completely covered. Shake off any excess.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet large enough to hold fish in one layer on medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add sole and saute for 2 minutes and turn. Saute second side 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
5. Turn the heat to high, spray skillet with olive oil spray and add the mushrooms.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until they start to shrivel, about 1 minute.
7. Spoon the mushrooms over the sole. Add the butter to the skillet and saute until it just starts to turn brown. Pour over the mushrooms.
8. Sprinkle parsley on top.
Per serving: 320 calories (37% from fat), 13.2 g fat (6.1 g saturated, 4.3 g monounsaturated), 107 mg cholesterol, 35.5 g protein, 14.4 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fiber, 231 mg sodium.
LEMON POTATOES AND BEANS
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
3/4 pound red potatoes (about 2 3/4 cups cubed)
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Makes: 2 servings.
1. Wash potatoes, do not peel, cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a saucepan.
2. Fill the pan with cold water to cover the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, add the beans and continue to boil 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Mix olive oil and lemon juice together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. When potatoes and beans are done, place in a serving bowl and pour lemon sauce over them. Sprinkle chives on top.
Microwave method:
Makes: 2 servings.
1. Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a plate or paper towel.
2. Microwave on high 3 minutes.
3. Add the beans and continue to microwave on high 2 minutes.
4. Mix olive oil and lemon juice together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss potatoes with the lemon juice sauce. Sprinkle chives on top.
Per serving: 196 calories (23% from fat), 5 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 2.2 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 5.3 g protein, 35.4 g carbohydrates, 5.8 g fiber, 39 mg sodium.
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(Linda Gassenheimer is an author of over 30 cookbooks. Her newest is “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.” Find her on Facebook (@FoodNewsandViews) and Twitter (@LGassenheimer), and listen to her podcasts at www.880thebiz.com.)