Not long ago, I told you about my experience with Sun Basket Meal Delivery Service.
I told you a little about how the whole process worked – from the menu, to the packaging and shipping and then to making the recipes. I was sent 3 recipes to make, and they all were fantastic. The one that we loved the most was the, Sole in parchment with warm date and apricot salad.
It was to-DIE-for. Seriously.
I thought I would expand on my original posting and share with you about the meal process!
All the ingredients for the meal were neatly included in the delivery box. They were on ice and in insulated material. Everything was cool to the touch when I go it (in the Summer!). The ingredients were fresh and individually packaged.
I pulled out the recipe card that described this meal as:
Parchment paper makes a terrific container for cooking. Here fresh fillets of sole steam to perfection with spinach and fresh lemon slices. A warm date and apricot salad lends the dish a distinct North African flavor. When you sit down to eat, you feel like you got a gift for dinner.
Ingredients
From Your Basket
- 2 sole fillets
- 1 to 2 shallots
- 6 ounces spinach
- 1 lemon
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 apricots
- 2 Medjool dates
- 1.5 ounces toasted almonds
- small bunch parsley
- 1 teaspoon sumac
From Your Pantry
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
Prep & Cook
1. Season the Fish, Prep the Vegetables
Heat the oven to 400° F. Cut the fish fillets in half and season with salt and pepper. Peel and slice the shallots. Coarsely shop the spinach. Cut 4 thin slices from the lemon. Zest and juice the remaining lemon.
2. Cook the Fish
Lay the two sheets of parchment paper side by side. Pile half the spinach in the center of each sheet, add with the shallots and season with salt. Top with a piece of fish, a lemon slice, and the butter, dividing the ingredients evenly between each sheet of parchment. Bring opposites side of paper together and fold. Roll the ends into the center to make a tightly sealed packet. Put on a baking sheet, and bake until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 20 minutes. While the fish cooks, make the salad. 
3. Prep the Salad
Cut each apricot into eight wedges. Cut the dates into thin slices, discard the pits. Coarsely chop the almonds. Rinse, dry and chop the parsley.
4. Make the Date and Apricot Salad
In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the apricots, almonds, and dates, season lightly with salt, and cook just until warm, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley, sumac, lemon juice and zest and toss to combine.
5. Serve
Open the fish packets and spoon the apricots and date salad on top. Serve hot.
Preparing this meal was easier than I could have made it on my own. Having all the ingredients ready and portioned for me, made it quick. I was able to use just a few apricots and dates (saving money on buying a whole bag at the store). I went out of my comfort zone combining all these unique ingredients, and the meal turned out amazing!
My husband and I cooked the meal together, and it was a fun experience. It was a cooking class date night! It was more relaxing and enjoyable than everyday cooking – since everything was ready to go for us. We just cut a few things up and followed the recipe! It was a memorable meal I enjoyed making with Sun Basket ingredients and recipe instructions. 
Sole with Warm Date Apricot Salad was seriously one of the best fish meals I have ever had. I have never cooked fish with sweet ingredients like apricots and dates before. And I am pretty sure I have never used sumac in any recipe before! The ingredients together in this meal, were simply amazing. Everything was so fresh and delicious.
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