Filet of Sole and Shrimp Francese

Ciao il mio amici!! I love seafood. I have to admit though; I never actually cook with fish until very recently. As I've mentioned, I use to be a vegetarian and on top of that…this is going to sound childish, I hate touching raw protein. Fish, chicken, pork, you name it. I guess I had a certain idea of it that took some time to get over. Now…forget about it!! I love cooking protein, in fact, I love it so much, that not only do touching, butchering or cleaning raw protein not bother me, I actually LIKE it!! I know, it’s weird. Well, enough about my odd habits. The other night I wanted to try my hand at one of my favorite dishes..Filet of Sole and Shrimp Francese.

When I was little, my family would go to a local Italian restaurant and every time I got the same thing..Fillet of Sole Francese. Tender, flaky fish with a light coating of flour. Creamy lemon sauce. I mean, heaven right?!? So, this is my take on one of my favorite dishes. The sole and shrimp are made with just a light dusting of flour, I hate the idea of this dish made with so much of a coating that it just tastes like fried fish. You want the fish to practically melt in your mouth with all of the lemony, buttery goodness. Buon Appetite!!

Fillet of Sole and Shrimp Francese

6 tbsp. olive oil

6 tbsp. butter

5 or 6 pieces of sole (you can also use Tilapia)

1 pound of shrimp, cleaned, de-veined and butterflied

1 cup of flour

2 eggs

4 cloves of garlic

2 lemons, sliced

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup white wine

½ vegetable stock

Handful of chopped fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper (quanto basta!)

Start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a large skillet over medium heat, add 3 tbsp. of the oil and 3 tbsp. of the butter. Heat until foaming.

Pour your flour in a shallow dish or deep enough bowl. Whisk two eggs in a medium size bowl. Dredge the fillets in the flour, make sure you coat both sides and then dip the fish in the eggs, and make sure it’s evenly covered. Repeat with all of the fillets and add to your skillet. Cook each side for 4-8 minutes; you want the bottom of the filet to get lightly browned before you flip them. Transfer the fillets to a baking sheet and place them in the oven to stay warm.

Repeat the same exact process with the shrimp. The shrimp however will cook very quickly, around 1-3 minutes each side. Transfer to the same baking sheet with the fish. Once you are done with all of the fish, add the remaining oil and butter and garlic to the skillet. Wait for the butter to foam and add the sliced lemons. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, wine and bring to a boil, cook until somewhat reduced. Add the vegetable stock; bring to a boil until the sauce is lightly thickened. Sprinkle in the parsley, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish and shrimp to the skillet. Serve immediately. Buon Appetito!!