The Goldilocks Kitchen

The BEST food blog for EASY wholesome, rustic, country recipes and Southwestern recipes!

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recipe Box
    • New Mexican/Hispanic
    • Christmas
    • Weeknight dinner
    • Cooking Questions Answered
  • Cookbook
You are here: Home / seafood / fish / Easy Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine

March 29, 2018 By Emily

Easy Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Fish on Friday just got fancy with Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine

Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine is presented in a transparent blue glass baking dish - The Goldilocks Kitchen

I haven’t done the best job at being consistent with my ‘Fish on Friday series’, but I’m going to try to jump back on the bandwagon with this amazing 30 minute dinner for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine. I love how this fish is stuffed with spinach and parmesan, then smothered in a deliciously seasoned white sauce. (Okay I know not the healthiest, but I’m trying; at least it’s homemade!) So let me take you through how it’s made!

Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine Recipe

I think any recipe that calls for shallots is ‘fancy’ to me, and this one is no exception! If you’re not familiar with shallots, they’re in the onion family, but taste like onion and garlic got married and had a sweet mellow baby . Their taste is sharp like an onion when raw, but when cooked  has a lovely mellow flavor with an almost garlic quality to it. Look for shallots next to onions in the produce aisles at your local grocer.

To start off this recipe, we’ll build the white sauce first. Begin by cooking a minced shallot in melted butter in a medium saucepan.

Minced shallot is cooked in butter inside a medium saucepan for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

Add pressed garlic, then half-and-half with a little cornstarch whisked in to help it thicken as it cooks. Also LOTS of thyme, because well, thyme is delicious! Bring this sauce to a boil to thicken it, then we’ll move on to preparing the stuffing.

A white cream sauce flavored with shallot, garlic and thyme cooks in a medium saucepan for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

The stuffing for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine is a simple one; just thawed dried spinach mixed with some parmesan cheese and some of the white sauce we just finished cooking on the stove. It’s important to remove as much moisture from the spinach as possible, so I dump it into a kitchen towel and wring the heck out of it over the sink. It’s amazing how much water comes out!

Thawed spinach is squeezed of all it's moisture tucked inside a kitchen towel that has been wrung out. For Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

Next, prepare the fish by blotting it dry with paper towels and seasoning it well with salt, pepper, and your favorite fish seasoning if you have some. Weber is a great brand and they always have excellent seasoning blends that I use in my everyday cooking! Make sure the fillets are all ‘skinned side down’ and distribute the stuffing evenly onto the center of each fillet. Fold the ends of the fillet over starting with the thin end to form a ‘fish bundle’.

Raw Swai fish fillets are lined up in a row, each topped with a mound of spinach parmesan stuffing for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

Place all ‘fish bundles’ seam side down into a prepared baking dish, leaving a little space in between.

Raw Swai fish bundles stuffed with spinach parmesan stuffing sit in a blue transparent glass baking dish ready to become Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

Now smother the fish with the rest of the amazingly, delicious shallot, garlic thyme sauce.

A creamy seasoned white sauce is poured over raw fish bundles that will be baked into Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilock Kitchen

Sprinkle the top with crushed Ritz crackers and pop it in a very hot oven for about 15 minutes. In these pics I’m using Swai fillets (because they were a good price). They took about 17 minutes to cook through. If you want to use a thinner fish like Tilapia, it will cook faster, so keep an eye on it. The dish is ready when the fish easily flakes with a fork but is still moist. Just remember fish cooks fast so keep an eye on it!

Stuffed fish bundles in a blue baking dish are topped with crushed Ritz crackers for a nice crunchy crust on Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine - The Goldilocks Kitchen

The 12 Essential Homesteading Kitchen Gadgets I can’t live without.

I know from personal experience you don’t need a gazillion kitchen tools getting in the way when just a few high-quality tools and small kitchen appliances will get the job done right! Here is my personal can’t-live-without small kitchen appliances list for anyone who wants to cook delicious food done right and preserve their hard work to be self-reliant!

  • KitchenAid Diamond Vortex 5-Speed Blender The best bang for your buck when it comes to blenders. I’ve had mine for 7 years now!
  • All-Clad D3 stainless steel professional grade saute pan I promise your food will taste better just using this pan!
  • Wusthof Classic two-piece stainless steel chef’s knife prep set– Don’t waste money on a whole chef’s block of knives. You only need these two!
  • OXO Good Grips 9-inch locking tongs
  • Cuisinart FSP-13 Elemental Food processor– Dark are the days I lived without a food processor. They are blocked from my memory.
  • Le Creuset Dutch oven– Price varies by color, so check all the colors for the cheapest price.
  • KitchenAid Gourmet meat tenderizer mallet– I use this on all boneless chicken breast meat I buy at the store, they are just way too thick to cook evenly without being pounded.
  • OXO Silicone spatula– Essential for stirring pan sauces and perfect scrambled eggs
  • 10-inch copper nonstick frying pan Essential for cooking fish, eggs, shrimp or
  • KitchenAid 5-quart stand mixer
  • All American Pressure Canner 21 quart size starter kit

 Fish on Friday tastes GOOD!

And here is the finished product, Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine underneath a crunchy topping! Yum yum!

A closeup of a baking dish full of Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine fresh from the oven - The Goldilocks Kitchen

I haven’t always been able to observe ‘Meatless Monday’ and ‘Fish on Friday‘ as well as I’d like, but that’s life. I keep trying. I’ll always want to keep myself and my family healthy! I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe and don’t forget to rate it as well! Enjoy!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine


★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Emily
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This fantastic ‘Fish on Friday’ recipe for Creamy Stuffed Fish Florentine feels decadent, yet is loaded with Omega-3’s protein and fiber, and is on the table in less than 30 minutes! 

Support The Goldilocks Kitchen by simply giving this recipe a comment and star rating in the comments section below; your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google algorithm. Thanks for your support!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2–3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 6 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh thyme, or two teaspoons dried
  • 1 tablespoon Weber Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning or your favorite fish seasoning blend
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 (12-ounce) package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 8 boneless, skinless fish fillets, such as Swai, Tilapia or Sole
  • 16 Ritz crackers, crushed
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to heat to 475 degrees, and spray a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Whisk the corn starch into the half and half, then pour into the saucepan and whisk in the thyme.
  3. Cook the sauce over medium high heat, stirring often, until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
  4. In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach and parmesan. Pour in one cup of the white sauce and stir to combine and melt the cheese.
  5. Lay out fish and pat dry with paper towels. season both sides of fish with salt and peper and Weber Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning. Place a large spoonful of spinach mixture into the center of each fish. Fold the ends of the fish over the stuffing starting with the thin end first.
  6. Place each fish bundle into the prepared baking dish, seam side down, leaving a little space between, and gently pour the rest of the white sauce over the fish to coat. Sprinkle with Ritz cracker bits on top and place in the oven. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the fish easily flakes with a fork, but is still juicy. 

Notes

Any thin white fish can be used like Swai, Sole, or Tilapia. Simply adjust your cooking time according to the thickness of the fish~Sole or Swai will need 15-20 minutes, and a thinner fish like Tilapia will need around 12-15 minutes to be done. Also with thinner fish, using a little less stuffing is recommended and increase the serving size to two fish bundles instead of one.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 fish bundle
  • Calories: 519
  • Sugar: 4.4 g
  • Sodium: 686 mg
  • Fat: 30.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 13.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39.6 g
  • Fiber: 2.4 g
  • Protein: 21 g
  • Cholesterol: 90 mg

Star Ratings give me Warm Fuzzies!

Support The Goldilocks Kitchen by simply giving this recipe a star rating in the comments section! Your comments and star ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google Algorithm. Thank you!

Filed Under: fish, Weeknight dinner Tagged With: cream, Fish, Fish on Friday, Garlic, half and half, parmesan, Ritz Crackers, shallot, spinach, swai

About Emily

I am obsessed with mastering all cooking/baking techniques as I believe that these self-reliance skills are still really important, especially in today's world. I grew up in New Mexico, and recently left the Land of Enchantment for the land of the Potato- Idaho. I am also a space and earth science nerd and I love the outdoors, my family and Christian faith.

« Cheesy Shredded Potato Casserole
Weeknight Roasted Chicken Breast with Red Potatoes »

Comments

  1. Sylvia M says

    January 27, 2020 at 8:35 pm

    I follow this recipe to a “T” except for the stuffing. For the stuffing I actually chopped up deli ham into small pieces and added some Parmesan cheese & some of the cream sauce and it came out phenomenally. My family raved about it & even my picky 10 year old daughter absolutely loved it . I paired it with yellow rice & poached potatoes & side of steam broccoli. Will make this again this recipe is a keeper thanks!

    ★★★★★

    • Emily says

      January 28, 2020 at 10:45 am

      That is awesome Sylvia! I’m so glad you and your family loved it. I like that you added the deli ham; that sounds amazingly delicious. Thank you so much for the feedback!

      • Sylvia M. says

        January 28, 2020 at 11:53 am

        Thank you for the reply & yes it was delicious. Having a picky 10 year old daughter i had to omit the spinach (I digress because me & My hubs love spinach). I have made many white cream base sauces & this one is hands down the BEST, once again many thanks for this delicious recipe that will now be a family staple!

        ★★★★★

Hi there!

Thanks for stopping by The Goldilocks Kitchen, the place for wholesome, rustic and foolproof country recipes. Enriching lives one great recipe at a time. Meet Emily...

Food Blogger Pro: Video training and blogger community helping you to start your food blog.

You might also like

Bring joy into your life with Sparkling Sugared Cranberries

Homemade Vanilla Bean Peach Jam

Orange Spice Banana Bread

Butter Tarts

Canadian Butter Tarts

Meatloaf Burgers

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in · Privacy Policy