Recipe: Baked Fish with Seafood and Sausage Stuffing with White Wine Sauce

BAKED FISH WITH SEAFOOD AND SAUSAGE STUFFING
WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Fresh fish filets
SEAFOOD STUFFING:
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
1 small red pepper, diced small
1 small green pepper, diced small
1 leek, chopped fine
1 to 3 cloves, fresh garlic, chopped fine, divided
1 cup crab meat, shredded
1 cup popcorn shrimp
black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 to 2 cups bread crumbs
WHITE WINE SAUCE:
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup white wine
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 cups heavy cream
1 chicken bouillon cube or 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
black pepper
Cayenne pepper

SEAFOOD STUFFING:
Melt butter in a large saute pan.

Remove casing from sausage, crumble, and add to butter. Add red and green peppers, leek, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until sausage is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Add crab meat and popcorn shrimp, stir to heat through and remove from heat.

Season with fresh ground black pepper. Stir in cheese. Add enough of the bread crumbs to thicken and bind all ingredients

TO PREPARE THE FISH:
Select fresh fish filets. Arrange in a baking dish and top with seafood stuffing. Top with white wine and/or melted butter, sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in a 375 degrees oven until fish is cooked through. Baking times will vary with the thickness of the fish filets, but generally figure ten minutes per inch thickness of the filet. (Do not overcook!)

Serve topped with white wine sauce.

WHITE WINE SAUCE:
Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter in small pan over medium heat, whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute.

Combine wine, shallot, and 1 clove of the chopped garlic in small sauce pot. Cook until reduced by half.

Add cream and chicken broth, stirring until slowly simmering.

Whisk in butter and flour mixture a little at a time until sauce begins to thicken. Cook for another minute and then remove from heat.

Whisk in parsley. Season with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.