CRABMEAT STUFFED FILET OF FLOUNDER

I like to think that I'm often ahead of the fold, so I decided to make my New Year's resolution a couple of months early. RESOLVED: to begin eating fish. Yes, if you have concluded that The Food of Love's lover of food is not a fish eater, you are absolutely correct. I have been eating shellfish for about twenty-something years, but aside from my occasional can of white meat tuna, no other creature that swims has passed these lips. Because I am committed to taking off this extra weight I've been accruing for too long now, I've decided to "woman up" and start including fish in my weekly rotation (baby steps).

Since I ate flounder last week at a girls' night out with no ill effects, that is where I began. There's a wonderful store in a town across the county from where I live. I used to shop there until I moved. Since I'm working there every week or so during the fall semester, I will have access to a wonderful fishmarket. In addition to the flounder filets, I picked up an 8 ounce container of frozen Jonah crabmeat. I recently had a chicken paillard grilled with a coating of pesto and covered with an arugula salad. It was wonderful. I decided to prepare a crabmeat stuffing for the flounder and to crown each filet with a bit of pesto.

2 - 4 Servings, 6 WW pts.

4 4-oz flounder filets, skin removed
2 tbs prepared pesto

Crabmeat Stuffing
8 oz Jonah crabmeat
1 tbs. shallot, minced
1 tsp. parsley
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. bread crumbs
1 whole egg
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. Worcestshire sauce

Blend all ingredients except crab first, then fold in the crabmeat.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a shallow baking dish with parchment paper.

Divide the crabmeat stuffing evenly among the 4 filets. Gently roll to enclose, placing seam on the bottom. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Spread the 2 tbs of pesto evenly over the 4 filets.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until fish is opaque. Do not overcook.

TASTE NOTES
My dear SO loved this dish. He orders fish out a lot since I don't generally prepare it at home. Truthfully, I was able to eat this and enjoy the crabmeat stuffing and the pesto topping. The fish was very mild, so it was a good first step for me. I believe if I were a fish eater, I would have been extremely pleased with the dish. I will definitely make it again (and may try it with a chicken cutlet). The filet was flaky and moist, but cooked through. That is something I insist on even with shellfish. It was a filling entree for just 6 points and I enjoyed it with a half cup of rice and steamed broccoli.