How it eats
- Flavor: mild. It tastes clean and lightly sweet with a whisper of the surf, never fishy or overpowering.
- Texture: fillet
- Cleaning: Rinse the fish in cold saltwater, lay it flat, and run a sharp flexible knife along the backbone from head to tail on both sides to lift off two thin white fillets. Pull the skin off with a pliers grip, trim the dark red bloodline away, and check for a few small pin bones near the head end. One 1 to 2 lb flounder yields about 60 percent meat, roughly two fillets of 6 to 8 oz each.
- Best ways to cook it: Fried, Pan-seared, Baked, Broiled
From the beach to the kitchen
Knock the fish on the head right away, slice the gills, and drop it straight into a slurry of ice and seawater so the blood pumps out fast. Keep only fish that meet legal size limits and never toss undersized ones in the cooler. A clean, bled, and properly iced fish is the difference between a soft fillet and a mushy one.
Size and bag limits for flounder are on the Flounder page.
What goes best with flounder
- Old Bay: Old Bay on fried flounder is the taste of a coastal pier at sunset.
- Lemon: A squeeze of lemon is the single best thing you can add to a fresh flounder fillet.
- Cornmeal: Yellow cornmeal dredge is the gold standard for a crispy fried Southern flounder.
- Butter: Brown butter on a mild, tender flounder fillet is a classic for a reason.
- Mayonnaise: A mayo crust on baked flounder keeps the thin fish from drying out under high heat.
- Hot sauce: A vinegar hot sauce cut with butter is the standard dip for a fried flounder sandwich.
- Beer: Beer batter fries up light and golden on these thin fillets without weighing them down.
- Paprika: Smoked paprika gives a broiled fillet color and a low, warm note without heat.
Have something else in mind? Pick your ingredients and compare every fish.
Recipes
Classic Cornmeal Fried Flounder
Fried | 25 min | Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb flounder fillets
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp old bay
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Steps
- Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a shallow bowl.
- Mix the cornmeal, flour, and old bay in a second shallow bowl.
- Dip each fillet in the buttermilk, then press into the cornmeal mix so it sticks on both sides.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 F until a pinch of cornmeal sizzles right away.
- Lay the fillets in the oil without crowding and fry about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Lift out to a wire rack, not paper towels, so the crust stays crisp.
Tip: A wire rack keeps the bottom from steaming and the crust stays crisp all the way to the table.
Pan Seared Flounder with Brown Butter and Lemon
Pan-seared | 15 min | Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 (6 oz) flounder fillets
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves, minced garlic
- 1, juiced lemon
- 2 tbsp, chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Steps
- Pat the fillets very dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a stainless skillet over medium high heat until the butter foams.
- Lay the fillets in flat and do not move them for about 2 minutes to build a golden crust.
- Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, then slide the fillets onto warm plates.
- Drop the rest of the butter into the pan with the garlic and swirl until it turns tan and smells nutty.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice, scrape up the brown bits, and spoon the sauce right over the fish.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve at once.
Tip: Pull the pan off the heat as soon as the butter smells like roasted nuts so it does not burn.
Baked Flounder with Parmesan and Mayo
Baked | 25 min | Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb flounder fillets
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup, grated parmesan
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1, juiced lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400 F and rub olive oil across the bottom of a baking dish.
- Lay the fillets flat in the dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top.
- Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Stir the mayonnaise and parmesan together and spread the mix over each fillet.
- Dust the tops with paprika.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the crust is golden and the fish flakes with a fork.
- Spoon the pan juices over the fillets when serving.
Tip: Thin flounder fillets cook fast, so start checking at 12 minutes to keep them from drying out.
Broiled Flounder with Old Bay Butter
Broiled | 15 min | Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb flounder fillets
- 4 tbsp, melted butter
- 2 tsp old bay
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1, sliced thin lemon
- 1 clove, minced garlic
- 2 tbsp, chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Steps
- Set the broiler on high and move the rack 6 inches from the heat.
- Lay the fillets on a foil lined sheet pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the melted butter, garlic, old bay, and paprika in a small bowl.
- Brush the butter mix over the fillets and lay extra lemon slices on top.
- Broil 5 to 7 minutes until the top is spotted brown and the fish just flakes.
- Pull the pan out and squeeze fresh lemon over the fillets.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve.
Tip: Line the sheet pan with foil because broiled butter will scorch a bare pan fast.
Blackened Flounder Tacos with Slaw
Blackened | 25 min | Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb flounder fillets
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1, juiced lime
- 1/4 cup, chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 clove, minced garlic
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Steps
- Mix the cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pat the fillets dry and press the spice mix into both sides so it sticks.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke.
- Lay the fillets in and cook 2 minutes per side until a dark crust forms.
- Stir the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, and hot sauce together for the crema.
- Warm the tortillas on a wet paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Flake the fish into the tortillas, top with the crema and cilantro, and serve right away.
Tip: Crank the kitchen fan and open a window because blackening on high heat makes a lot of smoke.
All recipes | Season, lures and limits for flounder
