quick french dinner

tonight i wanted to whip up something quick and fresh, and i had all of the ingredients on hand to make a quick french meal. i'm not going to say this is authentic, but it will pass. there is a pretty hefty amount of butter, but the dish isn't heavy. don't let the butter sway you against preparing this though, it's worth every calorie.

ingredients:
2 firm white fish fillets (we used red snapper)
flour (for dredging)
4 tablespoons butter
juice of 1.5 big lemons
zest of 1/2 a lemon
about 1 tablespoon of finely minced parsley
one pint baby potatoes (we used white potatoes, but any will do)
8 oz. haricot vert, ends removed
1.5 oz. white truffle butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

directions:
cut the potatoes into 1/2" discs and place them in the basket of a steamer. put the pan over medium high heat, cover, and steam until they are almost done (about 10 minutes).

meanwhile, heat the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pan (large enough for both fish fillets), and cook until it begins to bubble and turn brown around the edges. salt the fish and then sprinkle it with flour all over. pat off all excess flour and then add to the pan, skin side down (if your fillets have skin).

at this point, add the haricot vert to the steamer with the potatoes and put the lid back on, and continue steaming.

cook the fish until you can see white traveling up the sides. our fillets were quite thick, so this took several minutes, if yours are thinner, it won't take as long. once they are at this point, gently turn them and cook on the other side. your timing for this side should be half the time you had them on the first side (ex. if they were on the first side for 4 minutes, cook them on the second for 2). you don't want to overcook them, so be careful. to check for doneness, just use a fork to flake the fish at the thickest part. if it flakes, it's done. remove to the serving plates and set aside. add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley to the butter that remains in the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits...let this cook for a minute, then pour over each fillet of fish.

meanwhile, drain the potatoes and the haricot vert and add the olive oil and truffle butter to the pan. put this over a high flame and add the vegetables back in. crack in some fresh black pepper and add salt to taste, and turn the veggies in the butter and oil. remove from the heat and serve with the fish.

notes:
this recipe is a take on sole meuniere. i didnt have sole, and i don't know how authentic it is, but i know my mom makes it really well, and i know she uses these ingredients. i'm fairly certain this sause would taste excellent with shrimp, which would in turn be amazing over pasta. the possibilities are endless.