Friday, March 7, 2014

Crab-Stuffed Sole – Rolling in Excitement

There is nothing exciting about sole. It’s cheap, easy to find, has a mild, unremarkable flavor, and…that’s about it. It’s the Pabst Blue Ribbon of seafood. Which means it’s the perfect candidate for jazzing up by stuffing with crab.

The sole filets I used here were a little smaller than I would have liked, and I probably over-stuffed them a bit, which will increase the chances they will split along the natural seams in the flesh, especially if you roll too tight. As you can see, it’s not a big deal, and doesn’t alter the taste, but I did want to point it out.

As far as the trick I mentioned for covering cracks; all you need to do is save a little of your lemon-mayo mixture, and near the end of the cooking time (when the seams begin to split), pipe it into any unsightly crevices. Then, turn on the broiler, and give the top a quick browning to hide the evidence. I think these looked fine as is, and for a regular dinner I wouldn’t bother, but for those fancier parties, it’s not a bad idea.

I hope it’s pretty obvious that this technique would work for hundreds of other filling, as well as with any thin, white, roll-able fish. These are also great since you can make them well ahead of time, and then just sauce and bake when you’re ready to party. I hope you give these delicious crab-stuffed sole filets a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 portions:
6 sole filets (12 ounces)
salt to taste
For the filling:
4 oz crabmeat
2 tsp minced green onion
1 tbsp finely diced poblano pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
For the sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
cayenne to taste
- Bake at 400 F. for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through

27 comments:

Leela Gupta said...

Is fresh sole easy to find where you live? I don't see it much. Or, is frozen sole reasonably edible?

Also, do you have any more cod recipes? that would be nice to see since I always see that at the store.

Unknown said...

That's a nice bowl and new work surface.

Monica said...

We sometimes have sole but not often. I will check . Might try catfish that is always around. And it is a fish that need something.

Monica said...

Leela you could use the sauce over cod steak or fillets and broil

Unknown said...

I made this dish and it was a Hit, Thank you Chef

Jim, Bronx NY

Unknown said...

Made this dish and my family loved it. Thank you Chef.

Jim, Bronx NY

Unknown said...

OMG the freakishly small spoon returns! That totally made my day!

PJ said...

I live near Atlanta now. We can get just about anything here except fresh fish. The fish that is available here is frozen, tasteless, expensive, disgusting, and certainly not worthy of being a part of this recipe... Any suggestions other than driving 5 hours each way to and from Savannah or Panama City?

Donna said...

OMG .. will definitely try this!!

Unknown said...

Love this food. So delicious. I too is a seafood lover. Thanks

Ed the house chef said...

I failed at finding sole, so I'm using Tilapia which should be just fine. If it's a disaster, I'll let you know.

Chef John said...

I had great fish in Atlanta! Call a few restaurants and find out where they get the fish!

Ed the house chef said...

Well, after unwrapping the tilapia (or unfreezing it actually) I decided it couldn't be rolled. So, I practiced my knife skills and opened up the fillets to stuff them. Should still taste good, just had to modify a little bit and will adjust cooking times slightly. Thanks again Chef.

Unknown said...

Chef John,
love the Freakishly Small Freakishly Small spoon. Where does one find this? I find it freakishly attractive. Will make the crab stuffed sole for friends in Cali! Love ya!

Chris K. said...

You are the David Soul of your - oh wait.

Unknown said...

This is a keeper! Made it tonight with flounder filets from the freezer section as sole (sp?) was not sold at my local grocery. "sold"... hee hee.

Cigarro said...

sooo good. i used alaska golden king crab... cuz i live in AK so i think i'm required by law. took some to work. big hit. thanks!

Sandra from Montreal said...

Made this the other night and it was SO GOOD! Thanks for another recipe that'll be making it into our "do over" file! :)

Unknown said...

Chef I had to settle for flounder and I can't find real crab meat. Wegmans is failing me! Any recommended substitute if I can only find imitation crab meat?

Chef John said...

Wegman's has refrigerated canned crab that will work. Ask the fish guy!

Jim said...

I used frozen swai for this, the grocery store sells it in big bags of individually packaged fillets. It turned out very good, though the portions are much bigger; I cooked it for 40 minutes and then broiled the last few minutes to get a browned top.

Dan Parent said...

Without a doubt the most elegant and YUMMMY fish dish ever! My girlfriend thinks I am a gourmet chef thanks to you Chef John!

Racer said...

You said in your video you used paprika also known as cayenne. I thought cayenne was spicy and paprika was not. Which is better.

Atochabsh said...

For those that could not find a roll-able fish........spray a baking sheet with oil, you can put a thin layer of the mayo, then the crab mixture, then pipe some more mayo, top with panel. I usually mix that Pablo with a little melted butter, then cook in oven, 400 until done. Usually 20 min or so.

Unknown said...

Can i use lime?

Beth and family said...

I used fresh flounder filets from Costco, It was delicious albeit expensive. Not the flounder, just the crab. The dish was delightful and surprisingly good. Making it again tonite. Piped my mayo on before baking at all, came out real pretty.

Unknown said...

Sole is normally available and even if not in the seafood window just ask for it. If not any flatfish will work such as flounder or halibut but sole is cheaper. I get my fish at publix and even when not displayed they normally have it of course sold as dover which is bs. Last time they had flounder at 16 a pound but also had Dover not on display at 9 a pound.