This is my aunt’s spring Sunday dinner classic: oven baked 3-ingredient shrimp stuffed sole rolls. It’s the kind of dish that looks far fussier than it is—delicate white fish wrapped around a rosy shrimp filling, all basted in butter until flaky and tender. She started making it decades ago in her small Midwestern kitchen when she wanted something special for Lent that didn’t require a long ingredient list or fancy equipment. The beauty here is in the simplicity: sweet sole, briny shrimp, and good butter. Everything bakes together on a foil-lined sheet pan, so there are never many dishes to wash—and, in my family, never a plate left uncleaned.
Serve these shrimp stuffed sole rolls straight from the oven with a squeeze of lemon, a simple green salad, and maybe some roasted asparagus or green beans to keep the spring theme going. A pot of buttered rice, couscous, or small boiled potatoes catches the extra melted butter nicely. If you enjoy wine, a chilled glass of dry white—like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio—pairs well with the delicate seafood flavors without overpowering them.
Oven-Baked 3-Ingredient Shrimp Stuffed Sole RollsServings: 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds thin sole fillets (about 8 small fillets)
3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing foil
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then lightly grease the foil with a bit of butter so the fish won’t stick.
Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and set them aside on a plate. Dry fish browns and bakes more evenly, which helps the rolls hold their shape.
Roughly chop the peeled and deveined raw shrimp into small pieces, then mince them with a knife until you have a coarse, sticky mixture. You want visible bits of shrimp, not a smooth paste, so the filling stays juicy and textured.
Lay the sole fillets flat on a cutting board or work surface with the thinner, tapered ends pointing toward you. If any fillets are very large, you can cut them in half lengthwise so they’re easier to roll.
Spoon a narrow line of the minced shrimp mixture along the short edge of each fillet closest to you, dividing the shrimp evenly among the fillets. Keep the filling in a tight strip so it doesn’t squeeze out as you roll.
Starting from the shrimp-filled edge, gently roll each sole fillet up over the filling into a snug spiral, tucking in the shrimp as you go. Place each roll seam-side down on the prepared foil-lined baking sheet so they stay closed without toothpicks.
Brush the tops and sides of the fish rolls generously with the melted butter, letting some drip onto the foil around them. This will baste the fish as it bakes and give you those soft, golden edges.
Slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 16–20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork, is opaque all the way through, and the shrimp in the center is pink and just firm.
If you’d like a touch more color, switch the oven to broil for the last 1–2 minutes, watching closely so the buttered tops turn lightly golden but do not burn.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls rest for 3–5 minutes on the baking sheet. Spoon any melted butter from the foil over the tops, then transfer the rolls to warm plates and serve immediately.
Variations & Tips
Because this recipe is intentionally just three ingredients, I treat variations as optional add-ons you can use when you’re not strictly limiting yourself. For a little brightness, drizzle the finished rolls with fresh lemon juice or serve with lemon wedges on the side. If you want mild aromatics, you can finely grate a small clove of garlic into the melted butter before brushing, or add a pinch of dried thyme or parsley. For a richer, almost gratin-like finish, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of plain breadcrumbs over the tops after brushing with butter, then broil briefly. You can also swap sole for other thin white fish like flounder or tilapia if that’s what’s available, adjusting the baking time slightly for thicker fillets. If rolling feels fussy, another approach is to lay half the fish fillets on the foil, spread the minced shrimp over them, top with the remaining fillets like a sandwich, and bake as a layered casserole instead of individual rolls.
