Give your wine a little sole

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Mild, firm-fleshed fish fillets are great if you know how to cook them. They're a disaster if you don't.

Shaking thin fillets with a boxed coating and baking them can leave them dry. Frying yields unsatisfactory results, too. Fillets poached in a tomato-wine sauce are good but their texture is lacking, maybe from the acid in the tomatoes. A cream sauce is a no-no if you're watching calories.

What does work well are fillets poached in a wine sauce. The fillets cook up in minutes. They're full of flavor, and the poaching produces a texture that's perfect.

Homegrown garlic and freshly ground black pepper gave this dish just the right kick. Start to finish, dinner was on the table in less than a half hour.

For people watching their diet, seafood is an excellent source of protein. It's low in calories, high in polyunsaturated fats and a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

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WINE POACHED SOLE

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

This recipe is from "Seafood Twice a Week," by Evie Hansen and Cindy Snyder. It calls for cod, Pollock, orange roughy or flounder.

Ingredients:

1 pound sole fillets

Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

Ľ teaspoon dried dill

1/8 teaspoon each black pepper and salt

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Instructions:

Heat oil in saute pan. Add shallots and garlic. Saute for one minute. Add wine, dill and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add sole. Baste sole with liquid. Poach two to three minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. It is not necessary to turn the fish. Remove fish to serving plate. Turn heat to high. Reduce liquid by half. Spoon liquid over fillets.

Per serving: 121 calories; 3 grams protein; 3 grams fat;

36 milligrams cholesterol; 109 milligrams sodium.

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© 2008, The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.).