Sole New Orleans

This is another one of hubby's favorite recipes and part of his "let me impress you" culinary repertoire.  He loves seafood and his most memorable and successful attempts in the kitchen have been fish or shellfish dishes.  This recipes is from Sunset Magazine (it was his favorite source for ideas when he was a "young" man back in the early '80s) and eventually led him to purchase his first cookbook, I think it was called Sunset Magazine Seafood and Fish. 

Sole New Orleans
1 bunch fresh spinach
2 scallions, or green onions (white part only)
1 stalk celery
4 oz sour cream
1 1/4 lb Sole, Petrale or Dover
1 cup flour
1/4 olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 TBSP butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and dry-completely- spinach and place in a food processor and chop finely **if there is water in the food processor after chopping spinach, remove it and wring spinach out for excess water** set aside.  Add the scallions and celery to the food processor and chop very fine; add the spinach, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste, to the mixture and blend in the food processor.  Spinach mixture should be very fine and well blended.

Slice tomatoes into thin slices, you will need one slice for each sole filet; set aside.

Dry the fish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Put flour in a dish (large enough for dipping fish) and place beaten eggs in another dish (for dipping fish).   Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Dip each filet in flour, shake off excess, then dip into egg.  Lay fish carefully in frying pan and saute over medium high heat until both sides are browned and cooked through.  Place cooked filets in individual heatproof serving dishes (a gratin dish works well) or place all of them on a heatproof serving platter. 

Top each filet with the spinach mixture then a slice of the tomato.  In a separate pan, melt the butter and saute lightly--do not overcook or burn garlic--then dribble the garlic butter over each tomato slice.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Brown under the broiler, placing dishes 6" away from heat, and cook only until brown.  Serve immediately.

*Note: this dish can be assembled, up to placing the spinach mixture and tomato slices, a few hours in advance, refrigerated, and then warmed in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Once warmed finish the dish by preparing the garlic butter, top with parmesan cheese and broiling.