Fried Flounder with Homemade Tartar Sauce - Fried Flounder Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How is flounder supposed to be cooked? ›

Whole flounder is good sautéed, steamed or roasted. Fillets are excellent sautéed with a coating of flour or light breading to crisp the soft flesh and prevent them from falling apart.

Pat the fillet dry and place it into a well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet with a few tablespoons of heated oil, butter, or other fat. Turn the pieces only once―the first side down gets the crispest. You don't need to turn baked or broiled fillets at all.

Flounder has a very mild flavor and flaky white flesh. Picky eaters and kids will love fried flounder fingers. For those with a more sophisticated taste, you can bake, broil, poach, or steam fillets. Whole flounder are great for the grill.

Using a deep fryer or skillet, set at 375 degrees or medium high, deep fry fish in hot oil until golden brown. This takes about 5-8 minutes. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels.

Pan-Fry the Fish

The oil should be hot enough to sizzle when adding the fish to the pan. Fry the fish until golden on the bottom. For all those wondering, "How long does fish take to fry?": Pan-frying the average fillet takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

How do you fry flounder without it falling apart? For fragile, flaky fish such as flounder, catfish, and cod, double coating it in flour, egg wash, and then breadcrumbs protects its delicate flesh from falling apart as it cooks, acting as a barrier between the fish and the pan to keep everything intact.

It's easy to accidentally overcook seafood, especially small shellfish—like shrimp and mussels—and thin fish fillets. The texture can also turn out mushy if it is too saturated with water.

Soaking fish in brine or water before cooking to remove any muddy taste is not necessary. We prefer never to wash or soak whole or filleted fish in water or any other solution (except a marinade) before cooking as it affects the texture, and ultimately, the flavour of the fish.

Lightly dredge a whole flounder in well-seasoned flour. Heat a little olive oil and butter until foaming. Add the flounder and gently pan fry until nicely coloured on each side. Remove fish to rest, and deglaze the pan with chopped capers, fresh lemon juice, parsley and to finish, a knob of butter.

Flounder is a healthy saltwater fish. It's a mild, white fish with a similar texture to tilapia and high in vitamin B12. Unlike tilapia, flounder has omega-3 fats. Next time you're making a recipe that calls for tilapia, try swapping in flounder instead.

Why does my flounder taste fishy? ›

Fish tastes "fishy" when it hasn't been handled properly. To avoid "fishy" fish, smell and feel it. It should have a fresh and mild odor. It should be firm to touch and spring back into place.

Flounder have very low amounts of mercury and appear to be safe in this regard. Flounder is included in the list of best choices among seafood. Pregnant and breastfeeding women and children should eat two or three servings a week of flounder a week to get its nutritional benefits.

Like cod, flounder tastes slightly sweet but takes on a variety of flavors. A favorite for flounder is piccata with lemon and capers over pasta. In a head to head competition of cod vs. flounder, cod takes the slight advantage because it's easier to learn how to cook cod fillets than flounder fillets.

If you don't have a meat thermometer on hand, you can tell that a fish is cooked when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

The best way to tell if your fish is done is by testing it with a fork at an angle, at the thickest point, and twist gently. The fish will flake easily when it's done and it will lose its translucent or raw appearance. A good rule of thumb is to cook the fish to an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.

The color of flounder meat varies significantly. You can find flounder fillets anywhere from tan, pinkish-red, to snow white, but one thing always remains the same: Their meat is stark white when cooked.