Food for the Sole Soul – Cooking Dinner Together
Sole Piccata for dinner. I love to visit my sister and her love, BK, I try to get there at least once a month or more. I have my own room there too. It’s called the” Karen Harris Memorial Bedroom”. They probably allow others to stay there too, but so long as they know, it’s my room. They actually haven’t hung the placard yet, so it’s possible they’re just kidding me.
In their town, there is a fish store, “Fish King”, and it is incredible. I mean, it is so amazing that even the real estate brochures tag the location as a benefit to buying a home in the same neighborhood. It’s always crowded with people stopping in to buy their favorite fresh fish and they have a take out area for prepared specialties. https://www.fishkingseafood.com
They’ll Even Do The Dishes
There are a few tables inside as well, where you can sit and enjoy a meal in the ambiance of a true fish monger. I used to have an office near Fish King and we would go there for lunch sometimes. These days I look forward to browsing the selections and cooking with my sister and her sweetie pie as often as I can. You choose your fish, pick out a bottle of wine, add some fresh veggies and you’re good to go. Everything you’d need for a delicious home cooked dinner, or let them do the cooking for you. But the best part of all is taking time to make dinner together. It’s good for the soul and the sole’s delicious too.
Sole Piccata Over Forbidden Rice with Sauted Spinach and Garlic
This is actually a great weeknight dinner. If you have a little extra time and you’re in the spirit to have some fun in the kitchen, give it a try. This usually happens to me on a Thursday, maybe Wednesday, but never on a Monday or a Tuesday. You have to be willing to put in a little effort, which I rarely have in the early days of the week. I like to get comfortable, put on some music, pour a glass of wine and get to it. This dinner takes about 45 minutes to make from start to finish. Unless you stop to drink a lot of wine, then it takes about an hour. Sole is a very light fish and with this lemony take, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying it.
Let’s get cookin’
Black rice, otherwise known as forbidden rice or emperors rice takes about 40 minutes to cook. Black rice has a bite to it. It’s more like a grain, not soft like white or brown rice. I love the flavor and it looks beautiful under the white fish and next to the green spinach.
You make it like regular rice, just the proportion of water to rice is a little lower. For white it’s usually 2 water to 1 rice, but for black rice it’s 1 1/2 water to 1 rice. rice. I actually mixed 2/3 black rice to 1/3 white rice this time, but I didn’t like it as well as 100% black rice. Put water into a pot with a lid on the burner over medium heat. Bring water to a boil and add the rice. For 4 servings one cup of rice to 1 1/2 cup water is perfect. add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. When the rice comes back to a boil, cover pot and let it simmer on low until the water is absorbed. While the rice is cooking, make the spinach, then the fish.
Spinach and Garlic
I like fresh baby spinach, 8-10 ounces. Wash it carefully and let it drain in a colander. Chop about 2 cloves of garlic. Heat a large wide pan. Add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the garlic with the olive oil on medium low heat for about 30 seconds, then add all the spinach. Cook spinach about 4 minutes, tossing frequently. Set aside and start cooking the fish, unless you have someone who can make the spinach at the same time you are making the fish. Both the spinach and the fish go quickly but the spinach can sit and wait much better than the fish.
How To Prepare The Sole
You’ll need about 1 1/4 pounds fresh sole. We used Petrale, but Dover is delicious too. Whatever sole is in season will work for this dish. You can substitute for any other light white fish, like tilapia or cod, which is a bit heavier. 1 or 2 lemons, 3 tablespoons butter, a few tablespoons of capers, about 3 tablespoons of flour, and don’t finish that whole bottle of wine, because you’re going to need about 1/2 cup or so of the white wine for the sauce! Chardonnay or Pino Gris or Sauvignon Blanc etc. would be perfect, a crisp white is best.
Fish Fry
Lightly salt and pepper each side of the fillets. Put the flour on a plate, then lightly coat (dredge) each fish filet, then shake off excess. Put the butter into the pan on medium high heat. Let the butter melt and start to bubble. Add the fish fillets carefully, not overcrowding the pan, the sole cooks quickly so you don’t want to over cook the fish.
You want the edges of each filet to start to brown, then turn over and cook the other side the same way. About 2 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan with the butter and any bits left from the fish, add about 1/2 cup of wine, let it simmer about a minute, then squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pan, making sure to not drop in any seeds. I do this over the palm of my squeaky clean hand, holding back any seeds. Let that simmer about 30 more seconds.
Saucy
Add the capers (Capers are pea-sized picked flower buds. They add a nice salty bite and give this dish it’s texture. Don’t skimp on the capers! They are available in almost any store, in the condiments isle). You can add a bit more butter at this point as well. You want enough of this buttery, lemony sauce for each portion. About 1/4 cup is the final amount of sauce. Add the fish back into the pan with the sauce and let it heat together on medium low flame for about 1 minute.
Dishing!
Put the rice on the plate, then put the fish on top of the rice and slower drizzle with a bit of the sauce. Put the spinach on the side of the fish and the rice. Add a few pieces of fresh lemon, chopped parsley and you’re done! Enjoy!
Sole Piccata with Forbidden Rice and Sauted Spinach and Garlic
Notes
Actual cooking time for each ingredient is 40 minutes for the rice, 5 minutes for the spinach and about 6 minutes for the fish. Make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go and this recipe is a breeze.
Ingredients
For the Sole
- 1 1/4 pounds sole filet
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 cup crisp white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 lemons (one for the sauce and one for the garnish/quartered)
- salt/pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons Italian flat leafed parsley, chopped (For Garnish)
For the Spinach
- 8-10 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed and sorted/drained
- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt/pepper to taste
For the Rice
- 1 cup black rice (forbidden rice)
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Fish
- Open the fish package and lightly salt and pepper each side.
- Put the flour on a plate, then lightly coat each fish filet with flour, then shake off excess.
- Add the butter into the pan on medium high heat.
- Let the butter melt and start to bubble.
- Add the fish filets carefully, not overcrowding the pan.
- Cook until the edges of the fish are starting to brown, then gently flip the fish and cook the other side, waiting for the edges to brown. About 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove the fish from the pan and set aside.
- Using the same pan with the butter and any bits left from the fish, add about 1/2 cup of wine.
- Let simmer about a minute, then squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pan, careful to remove any seeds.
- Let simmer about 30 more seconds.
- Add the capers. If needed, add a bit more butter at this point as well. You want enough of this butter/lemony sauce for each portion. About 1/4 cup is the final amount of sauce.
- Add the fish back into the pan with the sauce and let it heat together on medium low flame for about 1 minute.
For the Spinach
- Wash the spinach and chop about 2 cloves of garlic.
- Heat a large wide pan.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Saute the garlic with the olive oil on medium low heat for about 30 seconds, then add all the spinach. Cover the pan to allow the spinach to steam, about 5 minutes.
For the Rice
- Add 1 1/2 cups water to a medium sized pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil, then add 1 cup of rice. 1 1/2 water.
- Bring the water back to a boil, cover and let the rice simmer on low for about 40 minutes, until tender and all the water is absorbed
Plating
- Put the rice on the plate and top with fish, drizzle some of the sauce onto the fish, top with parsley and add one quarter of the lemon.
- Add the spinach to the side.
- Enjoy!
