I’ve always loved food/dishes where they are stuffed. The best foods are stuffed and stuffing fish with seafood is no exception.

I find containers of lump crab meat and many of my local grocery stores (fish mongers should carry them) and I had some leftover crab meat (use it or lose it).

Basically, the filling is much like a crab cake and all we are doing here is rolling up fish fillets around the crab mixture, placing in the oven and topping it with a lemon cream sauce.

An important note about rolling up the fish: your fillets have two sides – one side where the skin used to be and the other which is the flesh side. It’s the “skin side” that will be facing up when you place the filling on top to roll up. As the fish cooks, it shrinks but your rolls will stay intact with this method.

My stovetop rice pilaf dish is a perfect side for this fancy fish dinner.

Crab-Stuffed Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce

(serves 4)

4 fish fillets (haddock, sole or other white fish fillet), skinless

olive oil

salt and pepper

Crab Stuffing

1 cup (250 gr.) lump crab meat

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 finely chopped celery

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tsp. finely chopped tarragon

2 tsp. finely chopped parsley

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1/4 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Cream Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil or unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. grated onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp. flour

1 cups vegetable or seafood or chicken stock

juice of half a lemon

1 cup cream

1 Tbsp. corn starch diluted in cold water

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Take fish out of fridge, pat-dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add scallions, garlic, celery and peppers and sweat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and transfer to a bowl and allow to cool completely.
3. To the same bowl, add the crab meat, mustard, mayo, tarragon, parsley, paprika, bread crumbs. Mix gently with a spoon. Taste, add salt and pepper to taste.
4. To ensure that your rolls retain their shape, place the fillets with the outside side of the fillet facing up (this side will be stuffed). Make four balls of crab filling and place on larger end of each fish and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.
5. Place your fish upright on parchment-lined baking sheet, place in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make your lemon cream sauce buy placing a medium pot on your stove-top over medium heat. Add butter, once melted add onions and mustard, flour and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add stock, lemon juice and cream and bring up to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Make corn starch slurry and stir in (if needed)
7. Take off heat, add salt and pepper to taste (add more lemon juice if desired) and stir in the chopped parsley. Carefully lift the fish off the baking sheet and transfer to plates, remove toothpicks. Spoon sauce over each fish.