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Fish Florentine

Fish Florentine | Bhetki Florentine

5 from 1 vote
Bhetki Florentine. Gorgeous Bhetki steaks. Nestled on a bed of baby spinach. Slathered with a sinful creamy white sauce. Topped with cheese. And baked to a gorgeous golden.
Pure bliss, isn’t it ?
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Poached Fish
  • 4 steaks of bhetki
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 10-12 black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper powder freshly crushed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
For the Spinach Bed
  • 400 g baby spinach
  • 3 tsp butter
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic crushed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
For the White Sauce
  • 2.5 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
To assemble the Bhetki Florentine
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup cheese of your choice I have used gruyere
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper powder freshly crushed

Method
 

For the White Sauce
  1. Add the butter to a sauté pan, cook over low flame till the butter melts. Add the flour, cook over a medium-flame till the butter is incorporated into the flour.
  2. Add the hot milk while stirring continuously, ensuring there are no lumps. 2-3 minutes or so.
  3. Add the cream, give it a hearty mix. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Fold in half the grated cheese, give it a gentle mix. Cook for another minute or two. Keep aside.
For the Spinach Bed
  1. Blanch the baby spinach in boiling salted water for 10-20 seconds, immediately plunge into ice cold water. Keep aside.
  2. Heat butter in a sauté pan, add the crushed garlic, sauté for a minute for so.
  3. Drain the blanched spinach from the ice batch, give it a firm squeeze to remove any extra water, throw into the pan. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add half the white sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a high flame for a couple of more minutes. Keep aside .
For Poaching the Fish Steaks
  1. Take the water and milk in a deep bottomed pan. Add the black peppercorn, crushed black pepper and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Gently place the fish steaks into the pan, and poach for 4 minutes or so.
  2. Remove the steaks from the pan. Keep aside.
To assemble the Bhetki Florentine
  1. Preheat the oven to 200•C.
  2. Transfer the spinach in white sauce to a greased baking tray. Spread uniformly. Gently place the poached fish over the spinach bed.
  3. Spoon the remaining white sauce generously over the fish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.
  4. Place the baking tray in the oven, grill for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is a gorgeous golden. Serve with buttered vegetables and roasted potatoes.