Flounder with Herbed Lemon Brown Butter
Flatfish Fiesta
Flounder with herbed lemon brown butter is a nice simple dish which cooks up in a hurry on the stovetop - really good for mid-summer when you’d rather not use the oven.
It goes nicely with Garlicky Green Beans and some Yukon Gold potatoes.
Summary
Serves: 2
Total Time: 20 minutes
Fill-O-Meter rating: Fish with two side, perfect. Wife agrees.
Leftover potential: Best to cook just enough for the meal.
Wife’s rating: Yummy
Ingredients
Flounder filets, about 6 oz per person
Flour, 1/3 - 1/2 cup
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Cayenne, optional
1 Tbsp olive oil
Sauce:
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Lemon
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
Substitutions
Flounder -> sole, halibut or any boneless flatfish filet
Tarragon -> Sage also works nicely (use same amount as tarragon)
Prep Overview
Cooking materials
Wide bowl for dusting the fish
A 1 gallon food storage bag also works well for this. You put the fish in with the seasoned flour, seal it and shake it. This gives a pretty even coating to the fish with minimal fuss. Reminds me of Shake and Bake (which is still on the market, believe it or not).
Saute pan
Small rimmed baking sheet
Knife for chopping
Cutting board
Citrus juicer, optional
2 small cups or ramekins
Oven
Give it a rest!
Slicing, dicing
There’s nothing to do in advance
Cooking Process
Juice the lemon
Squeeze 1 lemon for its juice
Set aside in a small jar or cup so it’s ready to use
Chop the herbs
Rough chop 1 Tbsp tarragon and 1 Tbsp parsley
Set aside for later use
Season the flour
Measure 1/3 to 1/2 cup of flour into your pan (or bag). You need enough to completely dust the fish.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add a pinch of cayenne if you like a little heat
Dust the fish
Dredge the fish in the flour, covering both sides well
If you’re using a bag, just toss the fish in, seal it and shake it up
Heat the saute pan
Set the pan over a medium-high flame. After it heats for a minute or so, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan.
Saute the fish
Shake the excess flour off the filets.
Lay flat in the pan, leaving a little room between filets
Cook for 2 minutes per side, until nicely browned (a little longer for thicker filets)
Put the cooked filets aside on a baking sheet. Keep it near the saute pan to stay warm if you need to saute multiple batches.
Make the sauce
Once all the fish is cooked, add 2 Tbsp butter to the saute pan, leaving the heat at medium-high
Melt until it’s browning but not burnt
Add the lemon juice, tarragon and parsley to the pan and stir
Finish it up
Slip the cooked filets into the sauce and warm them for a minute
Serve
Plate the filets and drizzle a little extra sauce over top of each one.
Add your side dishes and dig in!
Enjoy!