French country-style fish dish is perfect for Bastille Day

Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14 with this light French dish. Sole meuniere, or pan-fried sole and mushroom drizzled with a butter sauce, is a typical French country-style recipe.

The simple dish is a great way to serve fresh fish. A meuniere is a miller’s wife, and literally translated, the dish means cooked the way a miller’s wife cooks.

Small red potatoes and green beans complement the sole. The recipe can be cooked in the microwave or sautéed. I have given a recipe for both.

Helpful Hints:

• Fillets from any flat fish can be used, such as flounder, trout or snapper.

• Count 10 minutes cooking time for a 1-inch thick fillet.

• Add to the cooking time for a thicker fish.

• Any type of sliced mushrooms can be used.

Countdown:

• Start potatoes boiling first.

• Prepare beans.

• Cook fish.

• Finish potatoes and beans.

Shopping List:

To buy: ¾ pound sole fillet, ½ pound sliced baby bello mushrooms, 1 small bunch parsley, 1 small bunch chives, ¾ pound red potatoes, ½ pound green beans, 2 lemons and 1 can olive oil spray.

Staples: flour, olive oil, butter, salt and black peppercorns.

Sole Meuniere (Pan-Fried Sole with Nut-Brown Butter and Mushrooms)

Ingredients

¾ pound sole fillet

¼ cup flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil spray

¼ pound sliced baby bello mushrooms (about 1 ½ cups)

1½ tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Directions

Rinse sole and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix flour with salt and pepper to taste. Dip sole fillets into flour, making sure both sides are completely covered. Shake off any excess.

Heat a nonstick skillet large enough to hold fish in one layer on medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add sole and sauté for 2 minutes and turn. Sauté second side 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Turn the heat to high, spray skillet with olive oil spray and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until they start to shrivel, about 1 minute. Spoon the mushrooms over the sole. Add the butter to the skillet and saute until it just starts to turn brown. Pour over the mushrooms. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 320 calories (37% from fat), 13.2 g fat (6.1 g saturated, 4.3 g monounsaturated), 107 mg cholesterol, 35.5 g protein, 14.4 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fiber, 231 mg sodium.

Lemon Potatoes and Beans

Ingredients

¾ pound red potatoes (about 2¾ cups cubed)

½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Directions

Wash potatoes but do not peel, cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a saucepan. Fill the pan with cold water to cover the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, add the beans and continue to boil 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Mix olive oil and lemon juice together. Add salt and pepper to taste. When potatoes and beans are done, place in a serving bowl and pour lemon sauce over them. Sprinkle chives on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Microwave method

Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a plate or paper towel. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Add the beans and continue to microwave on high 2 minutes. Mix olive oil and lemon juice together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss potatoes with the lemon juice sauce. Sprinkle chives on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 196 calories (23% from fat), 5 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 2.2 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 5.3 g protein, 35.4 g carbohydrates, 5.8 g fiber, 39 mg sodium.