Recipe Background
Easy Fish Florentine combines creamy spinach with tender white fish.
With Easy Fish Florentine, you’ll bring a touch of coastal Europe to your table. Light white fish, such as cod or halibut, provides a delicate canvas for the creamy, vibrant spinach topping. As it cooks, the kitchen fills with the warm scent of garlic and melting butter mingling beautifully with the sweet red bell pepper. The dish is a testament to the beauty of simple, fresh ingredients coming together to create something delightful.
A key to perfect fish is to ensure the fillets are browned until just right. When you cook them in that buttery olive oil mixture, allow them to sear undisturbed until the edges deepen in color. This not only locks in flavor but also gives a lovely texture contrast to the tender flesh.
Serving Easy Fish Florentine feels like sharing a well-kept secret. The creaminess of the spinach mixture complements the fish’s gentle flavor. Each bite offers a fully satisfying experience, whether served on a quiet evening for two or a lively family dinner. It's an easy meal elevated, bringing everyone to enjoy the simple pleasures of good cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon salted butter divided
- 1 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 9 ounces fresh baby spinach
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 4 (5-ounce) white fish fillets such as cod or halibut, boneless and skinless, thick-cut
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter.
- Toss the red bell peppers and the garlic into the butter-oil mixture and cook, about 4 minutes.
- Add the spinach, the salt, and the pepper to the garlic mixture and cook until the spinach wilts. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Add the cream cheese, the half-and-half, and the parmesan cheese to the spinach mixture and mix well until the cream cheese is melted and the mixture resembles creamed spinach.
- In a second skillet over medium high heat, add the remaining oil and the remaining butter.
- Evenly season both sides of the fish fillets with the salt and the pepper.
- Add the seasoned fish fillets to the butter-oil mixture and cook, about 6 minutes.
- Flip the fish fillets and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and are browned, about 5 minutes.
- Serve the fish fillets topped with the spinach mixture.
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