Flounder With Brown Butter, Lemon and Tarragon

- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 4flounder fillets of equal size, 6 to 8 ounces each
- 3tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
- 2tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
- 1teaspoon roughly chopped tarragon
- A few tarragon leaves, for garnish
- Lemon wedges
Preparation
- Step 1
Put flour in a low bowl or pie plate and stir in a generous amount of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
- Step 2
Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tilt pan to coat bottom.
- Step 3
Season the fillets lightly with salt and pepper. Dip each fillet quickly into flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.
- Step 4
Lay fillets in skillet in one layer. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer cooked fish to a warm platter.
- Step 5
Leave the heat at medium-high and add cold butter. Let butter sizzle until foamy and brown, but do not let it burn. Add lemon juice, parsley and chopped tarragon and swirl to incorporate.
- Step 6
Spoon butter sauce over fish. Garnish with a few tarragon leaves and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
GMom Sorry the first note taker was so unhappy... He/she needs a new fishmonger. I struggle with preparing fish this way ; but dinner was delicious tonight. HOWEVER: Unsalted butter will not brown well. Use Salted ...and fish will be perfect
The recipe calls for salting the flour and salting the fish, yet other pan-cooked fillet recipes call for salting the flour only. Sounds like a lot of salt.
I recommend browning the butter in a small, light colored pan or pot in advance so that it's easier to control that process. The sauce can sit while you cook the fish, and then you don't need to worry about keeping the fish warm.
Made this last night. Not only did my husband and I really enjoy this preparation, but it is, at least in my experience, the only NYT recipe to accurately reflect the actual amount of time it takes to make the dish! Perfect for a light weeknight dinner!
Can I prep the fish and bake it in the oven? I have lots of it for a large dinner party and want it hot when I serve it
I had some garlicky bread crumbs and used them instead of flour. Added a nice touch.
