Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped, shells reserved
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Essence
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for fish
3 tablespoons sliced green onions, plus more for fish
1/2 cup plus 4 teaspoons dry bread crumbs
2 whole Pacific sole (1 1/2 to 2 pounds each), heads removed and deboned for stuffing whole

Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon slices
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup water or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons red hot sauce (recommended: Crystal Hot Sauce)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to
350 degrees F. Line a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the 2 sole with aluminum foil and lightly
grease. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt 3 1/2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and, when
hot, add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the
shrimp, 4 teaspoons of the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the Essence, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of
the cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the parsley and 2 tablespoons
of the green onions and set aside to cool.

Once the shrimp mixture has cooled, add 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, and stir to combine well.

Season the inside of each fish with 1/4 teaspoon of the remaining salt and season lightly with black pepper.
Divide the shrimp stuffing evenly among the pockets in the 2 sole and fold the top fillets over the stuffing
so that it is mostly enclosed. Top with lemon slices, chopped parsley, chopped scallions, salt and pepper.
Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the fish is just cooked through and lightly golden on top, 25
to 30 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, make the pan sauce by melting 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until the shells are lightly golden,
toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the shallots and remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic and cook, stirring,
for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook until evaporated, 1 minute. Add the water or broth, heavy cream,
remaining 1 teaspoon of Essence, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and hot sauce and reduce the heat to
medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally and using the spoon to mash the shells into the sauce, until the
liquid is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh
sieve, pressing on the shells to release as much liquid as possible, and then return the sauce to the
saucepan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of green onions and keep warm until ready to serve the fish.

When the fish is done, remove it from the oven and divide each fish into portions and transfer to serving

plates. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk the remaining butter into the warm sauce. Serve the warm
sauce ladled over the fish. Pass the lemon wedges at the table.

Ingredients

Emeril's ESSENCE
Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

Directions

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking," by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch
Published by William Morrow, 1993.