Pan-Fried Flounder

[beagle]

So we were at wal-mart and I picked up one of those bags of the frozen fish fillets (they are dark blue, and they have many different types of fish) and it was some flounder. I had flounder at a resturant one time and loved it so I thought, why not try cooking it at home.

Oh man the first time I tried to cook a few I tried baking them and it was a disaster. This week I got back on foodtv.com (I go there a lot can y'all tell? lol!) and found this recipe:

Pan-Fried Flounder
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

8 (4-ounce) flounder fillets
1 tablespoon Essence, plus 2 teaspoons, recipe follows
1 cup instant flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups clarified butter
Dilled Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Lightly season the fillets on both sides with 2 teaspoons Essence.
In a shallow bowl, combine the instant flour and remaining tablespoon of Essence. One at a time, dredge the fish in the flour to coat both sides, shaking to remove any excess.

Over medium-high heat, warm enough clarified butter to come 1/2-inch up the sides of a large, deep saute pan or skillet to 350 degrees F. Add the fish in batches and cook for 2 minutes on the first side. Carefully turn with a spatula and cook until golden and cooked through, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add additional clarified butter, as needed, for the remaining fish.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme


It turned out great!! I bet you could use this basic idea for other types of fish too. The recipie also had a dill tarter sauce with it but I am not a big fan of tarter sauce so I didn't make that. I'll post it for any of y'all who might want it though:

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Dilled Tartar Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Pinch sugar
2 tablespoons grated white onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon pickle relish

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, and sugar, and mix well. Fold in the onions, dill, and pickle relish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: about 1 cup

[Lorri]

I think I enjoy all Emerls recipes, with the exception of the duck liver ones, cause I have never tasted it and don't intend to.

If you would still like to bake your flounder it is pretty simple - the trick to baking flounder is not to cook it in foil, cook it in parchment paper.

cut off several good size sheets of parchment, as make as you have fish, butter the inside of the parchment pretty thickly, if you like dill, I gon't care for it in cooked foods, so I use thyme, which gives it more of a lemony flavor, you can add a sprig if dill, 2 thin slices of lemon, I also add 1 clove of garlic crushed, but that is optional also, give the top of it a good grind with your white or black pepper, and fold it up, bake it on a cookie sheet at 350 for approx 20 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of your fish.
Do not add any liquid to the pack, the moisture in the fish creates enough liquid to steam the fish to perfection!

[beagle]

Thank you for the tips! The first recipe I tried had the filets in a glass baking dish and butter on the bottom...I think the butter was too much because the fish fell apart and was a mess. I will certainly be trying your tips out the next time I try baking it. Thanks again!