Flounder Meunière (Print version)

Delicate flounder fillets lightly dredged in flour, pan-fried until golden, and finished with bright lemon-browned butter sauce.

# What you'll need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 flounder fillets (about 5.3 oz each), skin removed
02 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Dredging

04 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

→ Cooking

05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Sauce

07 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
10 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Directions:

01 - Pat the flounder fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
02 - Place flour on a shallow plate. Dredge each fillet lightly in flour, shaking off excess coating.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter becomes foamy.
04 - Add the fillets to the hot skillet in batches if necessary. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a warm platter.
05 - Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat until it turns golden brown and develops a nutty aroma, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley. Immediately spoon the browned butter sauce over the fish.
07 - Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you actually spent twenty minutes, which feels like the ultimate kitchen cheat code.
  • The flounder stays buttery and tender instead of becoming tough or dry, a trick that works every single time if you pay attention to one small detail.
  • Browning butter transforms the whole dish from simple to sophisticated—people will ask what restaurant you trained at.
02 -
  • Flounder is forgiving but delicate—the moment the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily, you stop cooking it, because another thirty seconds can turn tender into tough and no amount of butter can rescue that.
  • Brown butter is a tightrope; too light and it tastes like regular melted butter, too dark and it tastes burnt and bitter, so pay attention to the smell and color and pull it off the heat the instant you catch that nutty aroma.
03 -
  • Keep a small bowl of ice water nearby while cooking—if your butter starts browning too fast, dip the bottom of the pan in the water for just a second to slow it down without stopping the process.
  • If you want to add white wine to the sauce for richness, pour a splash into the pan after you've wiped it clean but before adding the butter, let it reduce by half, then proceed with browning the butter as directed.
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