As with virtually all consumer products these days, there are fads in fish. Copper River salmon from Alaska is in. So is sea bass from Chile. And don’t forget the 1980s’ fevered demand for Gulf of Mexico redfish after chef Paul Prudhomme “blackened” it, almost exhausting the supply.
Flounder, on the other hand, is not in. But perhaps together we can do something to change that.
Flounder, after all, is pure white and can be served whole but boned or as boneless fillets–factors that are said to have a positive impact on those who approach any fish with hesitation. Flounder is soft-textured and bland, but that only makes it more useful as a “carrier,” when it carries a filling or topping as gracefully as a male ballet dancer lifts and twirls a ballerina.
Growing up on the East Coast in the days when seafood was relatively cheap, I was able to dine on truly tasty versions of that much abused American culinary classic, flounder stuffed with crab meat, without negotiating a bank loan.
Flounder is cheap no longer, but it still costs less per pound than most of the fad fish, and there are other fillings less costly than crab. Also, flounder cooks quickly and evenly, as you will learn from the following recipes. The first three are traditional in concept, while the fourth is a true fusion creation from my kitchen.
FLOUNDER UNDER A BLANKET
Four servings
4 skinless flounder fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each
Vegetable oil
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced shallot or green onion
2 teaspoons grated or bottled (drained) horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup dry bread crumbs, Japanese panko preferred
1/4 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika, Hungarian preferred
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer. Heat an oven to 500 degrees. Wash fillets and pat dry. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, horseradish and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, paprika, pepper and salt.
2. Spread the bread crumb mixture on a plate and coat each fillet well with crumbs. Place fillets in the baking pan. Cover each with a generous coating of the mayonnaise mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs atop the fish.
4. Bake until fillets are firm and crumbs are brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve with green beans, rice (or another grain) and an off-dry Riesling or chenin blanc wine.
FLOUNDER A LA NORTH CAROLINA
Four servings
4 flounder fillets (about 6 ounces each)
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted preferred
4 medium onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 ounces fresh spinach, stemmed and washed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fish stock, or 2 tablespoons clam broth and 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent but not colored, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
2. While the onions are cooking, place the spinach in a large, non-aluminum saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and cook in the water that clings to the leaves just until the spinach has reduced in volume and the leaves are soft but still bright green, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Drain the spinach; gently squeeze out some but not all of the liquid. Chop to a coarse texture. Place the spinach in a small bowl and add the lemon juice. Toss until well mixed. Cover and keep warm in a low oven.
4. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flounder fillets, season with salt and pepper, and pour the wine and stock around the fillets. Bring liquid to a gentle simmer and cover the pan; cook until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes, basting the fillets with cooking juice once or twice.
5. Divide the spinach equally among 4 warm plates, spreading it out in the center of each plate. Top with a flounder fillet. Spoon the onions over each fillet, dust with pepper and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with an Italian white wine such as Soave.
–Adapted from “The Great American Seafood Cookbook,” by Susan Herrmann Loomis
FLOUNDER WITH MUSHROOMS AND CREAM
Two servings
2 flounder fillets (about 6 ounces each), washed and patted dry
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced shallot or green onion
Salt and pepper
4 medium white mushrooms, sliced thin
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1. Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Use half the butter to grease a baking dish just large enough to hold the fillets without overlapping. Spread shallot and a liberal dusting of salt and pepper over the buttered surface.
2. Place fillets in the dish, season with salt and pepper and cover with mushroom slices. Pour wine into the dish, then sprinkle parsley and bread crumbs over all. Dot the surface with remaining butter, cut into small pieces.
3. Bake about 10 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened and flounder is opaque throughout. Serve with steamed baby potatoes or rice, a green vegetable and chardonnay wine.
FLOUNDER WITH RED CABBAGE AND CHERRY TOMATOES
Two or four servings
2 flounder fillets, about 8 ounces each, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons butter
1 large bulb onion, shredded into 1/4-by-3-inch pieces, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 cups shredded red cabbage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch sugar
12 cherry tomatoes, yellow if possible
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons shredded sage leaves
1. Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add herbs, soy, fish sauce and mirin. Stir well, then add cabbage, toss to coat and smooth into an even layer.
2. Add 1/4 cup water, bring to a simmer, cover pan and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Uncover pan, add salt, pepper and sugar and stir. Add cherry tomatoes and re-cover pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have cooked and cabbage is just tender. Remove tomatoes and reserve.
3. Place fillets atop cabbage and sprinkle lemon juice and shredded sage on each. Re-cover the pan and cook until flounder is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. Use a long spatula to lift whole or half fillets onto serving plates. Surround with cabbage and garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with an Alsace riesling or a light red zinfandel.
