Florentine is just the expression given to a dish paired with spinach, so you can have steak Florentine or chicken. I have listed this as fish Florentine rather than stating a particular kind, as I usually make this with sole, but I have made it with cod, and this time I made it with perch. The sauce I think works well with most kinds of firm white fish so take your pick and make your favourite.

Ingredients

800g Frozen spinach
OR
1-1.2kg Fresh spinach
4 Fish fillets (a firm white fish sole, bass, cod etc.)
1 Cup mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 Small brown onion, chopped finely
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

11/2 Cups milk
1 Teaspoon Paprika
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne
2 Teaspoons cornflour
1/2 Cup Gruyere, grated
3 Tablespoons Parmesan
2-3 Tablespoons Parmesan (extra to sprinkle over the top.)

Poaching Liquid

3/4 Cup dry white wine
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely
1 Teaspoon dried tarragon

Potatoes

500g Baby new potatoes
8 Cloves garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil
20g Fresh mint, chopped finely

Method

You will want get the potatoes on first as these take the longest.

Potatoes

1. In a medium bowl mix potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in roasting pan with garlic cloves and cook in 200c oven for 30-40 Min’s.

Serve potatoes and garlic on the side and sprinkle with mint.

For the Fish

1. In a saucepan bring some water to a boil and add spinach, for fresh cook until just wilted, for frozen cook until thawed, drain, let it cool and then squeeze excess liquid out.

2. In a pan combine oil and butter and heat, add onions and cook until soft, add mushrooms and garlic, cook until mushrooms are slightly browned and soft set to one side.

For the Sauce

1. Heat milk in a pan, add cayenne, nutmeg and paprika. When milk is almost boiling mix a little water with cornflour and pour into milk, stirring until mixture thickens.

2. Add the cheeses, reserving the few tablespoons of Parmesan for the top, stir until melted.

Poaching fish

1. In a large pan mix wine with herbs, add fish and poach for about 8 Min’s until fish flakes but is not falling apart.

Assembly

1. Mix mushroom and onion mixture into spinach, spoon into the bottom of a casserole dish covering the bottom.

2. Lay fish fillets on top of the spinach, Pour the sauce over fillets, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

3. Grill until browned on top and bubbling.

While I am grilling fish I put my potatoes over low heat on stove top to keep warm.

All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.