I have to admit I copied much of this recipe from Emeril. I made the essence of Emeril seasoning mix and used it exactly as described. It was fine, but a more basic salt, pepper and paprika with my own secret ingredient (in almost everything I make!), Morton’s Season Salt, would have been better. The cayenne added too much heat for my guests and I’m not a big fan of oregano (un-Italian?).  I would also eliminate the crackers and go with straight crab meat and veggies for the filling! Maybe add a little breadcrumbs, but do it sparingly. I also used Sole instead of Flounder, but any mild white fish will do!

Crab Stuffed Sole Ingredients:
3 tbls unsalted butter
1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 1/2 teaspoons Essence (replace this with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika if you have Morton’s Season Salt, use it in place of the onion and garlic powder)
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons minced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon hot sauce of your choice
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (Progreso Italian Style)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
4-6 large Sole fillets or any white fish will do! Skinless and boneless
2 lemons, 1 cut into thin slices and 1 cut into wedges for serving
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for drizzling over

Crab stuffed Sole Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a shallow baking dish with butter and set aside.

Place the crabmeat in a large bowl and season with 1 teaspoon of the Essence (replace with my spice mix described above) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a medium skillet, Melt 2 1/2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the parsley and the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add the cooled vegetables to the crabmeat and toss gently to combine. Add the mayonnaise, beaten egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and stir gently. Mix the Progreso Italian Style breadcrumbs into the mixture gently.

Season each fish fillet with 1/2 teaspoon of Essense (or my replacement!). Divide the crabmeat filling evenly among the centers of the fish fillets and, using your hands, roll the fillets up to encase the filling.

Place the fillets, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Panko breadcrumbs evenly over the tops of the fillets. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs become golden brown.

Ciao! Mike.