Fish Florentine | Bhetki Florentine
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 ?
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
Instructions
For the White Sauce
- 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.
- Add the hot milk while stirring continuously, ensuring there are no lumps. 2-3 minutes or so.
- Add the cream, give it a hearty mix. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fold in half the grated cheese, give it a gentle mix. Cook for another minute or two. Keep aside.
For the Spinach Bed
- Blanch the baby spinach in boiling salted water for 10-20 seconds, immediately plunge into ice cold water. Keep aside.
- Heat butter in a sauté pan, add the crushed garlic, sauté for a minute for so.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Remove the steaks from the pan. Keep aside.
To assemble the Bhetki Florentine
- Preheat the oven to 200•C.
- Transfer the spinach in white sauce to a greased baking tray. Spread uniformly. Gently place the poached fish over the spinach bed.
- Spoon the remaining white sauce generously over the fish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.
- 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.