Sole with Crab and Spinach Stuffing

I had to be at work at 7am this morning, and I am not a morning person. We are in the process of releasing a beta of our product at my day job, so this is shaping to be a week of never ending meetings, last minute testing, and one stop shopping at Whole Foods (no time to go to my favorite fishmonger and veggie market). Since I have a gripe about Whole Foods not scaling their fish, I decided to go for something that is best skinless. As I was staring at the fish counter, it occurred to me that I haven't made stuffed sole in a long time, so that's what I got. This is a super easy weekday meal, but interesting enough to give me the satisfaction of sautéing, mixing, stuffing, and baking (in other words some real cooking) in the end of the day.

Fish substitutions: flounder is cheaper and in my opinion tastier option, but WF didn’t have it today.

Serves 4

For Crab and Spinach Filling
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz spinach
1 garlic clove, finely minced
4 oz package cooked crabmeat
6 oz whipped cream cheese

For the Sole
1.5 Lb sole fillets (2-3 per person)
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup water
Salt and pepper
Chopped dill or parsley for garnish

Crab and Spinach Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Pull out the spinach stems and discard (no need to do this if using baby spinach).
3. Heat a large pot over high heat. When hot, add the oil and spinach and cook stirring often until completely wilted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the spinach to a plate and put in the fridge until cool, about 10 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, crab, and cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.
   

Stuffing the Sole

1. Season sole fillets with salt and pepper on both sides and lay them out on the work surface skin side down (the skin side is the smoother of the two).
2. Put a dollop of filling (about 2 Tbsp) onto the thick part of each fillet and roll it up towards the thin end encasing the filling. Place fillets seam side down in a 13x9x2 baking dish (or some other dish that can hold them comfortably). Dot each fillet with a sliver of butter.
3. Bring the wine and water to a boil in a small sauce pan, and pour into the baking dish with sole. Cover sole with parchment paper and bake in the middle of the oven just until you can plunge a fork all the way through the thickest roll of sole with no resistance, 10-12 minutes. The cream cheese will melt into the wine making a very flavorful sauce.
4. Garnish with herbs and serve with plenty of crusty bread.