Sole Thermidor Recipes

SEAFOOD THERMIDOR

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Combine soup mix and flour; stir into onion until blended. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir in wine or broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. , Add cod; cook for 1-1/2 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook 1 minute longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork and shrimp turn pink. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella cheese and parsley until cheese is melted. , Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Melt remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over seafood mixture. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 3 minutes or until topping is golden.

FILLETS OF SOLE THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 TBL butter (or margarine), salt, seasoned salt and pepper; use to brush fillets on both sides. Roll up each fillet from a narrow edge and place, seam side down, in a 9"x9" baking pan. Pour 1/2 cup milk over fillets and bake 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
• Meanwhile, in same saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining butter and stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Reduce heat and stir in cheese until melted; stir in sherry.
• When fish is done, remove from oven and preheat broiler. Pour pan liquid off, reserving 1/4 cup; stir into cheese sauce. (If not using sherry, use 3 TBL more of pan liquid.) Pour sauce over fish; sprinkle with paprika. Broil about 1 minute or until sauce is slightly golden.
• *You may also use 16 ounces of frozen sole fillets, thawed. Arrange fillets in 12" x 8" baking pan (do not roll); proceed as above.

SOLE THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Trim fish fillets and poach in two cups of the court bouillon.
• Lift carefully onto a hot baking platter.
• Combine the flour and melted butter; add the court bouillon in which the fish was poached.
• Cook for three minutes; remove from heat.
• Add seasonings, cream, brandy and 2 tablespoons of the cheese (do not cook).
• Pour sauce over the fish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place under broiler to brown.

STEAMED GINGER SOLE WITH LEMON SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk the soy sauce, lemon zest and juice, and the sesame oil together in a small bowl. Add the scallion whites to the sauce.
• Mix the scallion greens with the ginger in another small bowl.
• Lay the sole fillets on the work surface, skin-side up (look for the side with the herring bone pattern). Cut the fillets lengthwise along the natural seam that runs down the center of each piece. Lightly season the skin-side of the fish with salt and pepper. Then scatter the scallions and ginger on top. Starting from the narrow tail end, roll up each piece of fish into a tight spiral with the scallion on the inside. Secure with a toothpick if desired.
• Pour an inch or more of water in a wok or skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lay the Napa leaves in a bamboo or collapsible steamer. Stand the fish rolls on the Napa, and scatter the shiitake mushrooms and sliced carrot around. Set the steamer over the water, cover, and cook the fish until it is barely cooked through, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the fish covered to finish cooking in the residual heat of the steamer, about 5 minutes more.
• Divide the Napa, sole, shiitakes, and carrots among 4 plates and drizzle with the sauce. Serve.

LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Place a medium saucepan on a burner and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and slowly whisk in all of the butter. Hold warm until ready to heat lobsters.
• Marinate filets in 1/4 cup olive oil, cracked black pepper, and thyme for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Preheat a grill. Season filets with kosher salt and grill to desired temperature. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 4 minutes before serving.
• While meat is coking, reheat the melted butter if needed. While meat is resting, place the lobster tails and claws in the butter and heat until warmed all the way through, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and blanched baby spinach and saute until heated through.
• For each dish, place a potato cake in the center of a plate, top with sauteed spinach, and a lobster tail. Thinly slice the filet into 6 slices and fan the filet out in front of the potato and spinach. Top with the lobster claw and pour sauce around the plate. Serve spaetzle as a side dish.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a baking dish, toss the whole potatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until mostly cooked through. Remove from oven and cool. Peel potatoes and grate. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until tender. Add the cooked onion to the grated potato mixture. Form into 4 patties, place on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.
• Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add potato cakes and saute until golden brown on both sides and heated through, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place lobster heads on a sheet tray and roast until slightly browned, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, sweat onion, carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic in 1/2 stick of butter in a large saucepan. Add brandy and reduce until almost dry. Add white wine and reduce. Add tarragon, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, basil, chicken stock, tomato paste, and roasted lobster heads. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours, skimming periodically. Strain through a chinois, return to the pan, and reduce by half until the sauce starts to thicken, approximately 30 minutes. In the meantime, reduce heavy cream by half in a small saucepan. Whisk in the heavy cream and finish sauce by slowly adding the remaining 1/2 stick of butter, 1 tablespoon at time. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Beat egg, yolks, and milk in bowl and set aside. Measure all dry ingredients and place in bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and blend with hand, then add the melted butter. Let batter rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of boiling, salted water to a boil. Place a perforated hotel pan over the boiling water. Pour the batter into the perforated pan and press it through into the water. Cook until spaetzle rises to the top. Drain and shock in ice water. Drain again and toss with the oil. Serve as a side with the lobster.

SOLE IN HERBED BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt if desired, and pepper. , In a large skillet, heat butter mixture over medium heat until melted, 1-2 minutes. Add the sole; cook until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 2-3 minutes on each side. If desired, garnish with dill and lemon.

NEXT LEVEL LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Snap the claws and smaller legs away from each lobster. Cut the main section in half lengthways using a large chef's knife, and scoop the contents of the head cavities into a bowl, then remove the dark vein from the tail meat and discard. Remove the tail meat, chop into large chunks and put in another bowl. Lay the empty shells cut-side up on a baking tray and set aside.
• Crack the claws and knuckles, then pick out all the meat using a skewer or lobster pick. Roughly chop and add to the bowl with the tail meat. Put any shards of shell into the bowl with the head meat. Use a rolling pin to roll along the length of the small, spindly legs and push out the meat, then tip into the bowl with the claw and tail meat. Again, put any broken shells into the bowl with the head meat. The lobster can an be prepped up to a day before. Cover and chill the meat and broken shells until needed.
• To make the sauce, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the shallots for 5-6 mins until soft and golden. Add the broken shells and head meat, then turn up the heat and cook for 2 mins more. Splash in the wine or vermouth and bubble for 2 mins to reduce. Pour over the stock and cream, bring to the boil, then continue to cook for 10-12 mins until the mixture has reduced and thickened. Turn the heat off and leave to cool slightly, then pour into another saucepan through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the shells and meat against the mesh with the back of a spoon to extract all the sauce. Stir in the mustard and lemon juice, then taste for seasoning. The sauce can be made the day before, covered and kept chilled.
• Heat the grill to high. Spoon the claw and tail meat into the empty reserved shells. Reheat the sauce over a low heat until warmed through, if needed, then stir through the herbs. Spoon the sauce over the lobster meat in the shells, then sprinkle with the parmesan and put under the grill for 4-5 mins until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese lightly golden. Serve with chips or boiled small potatoes and a green salad.