Flounder With Brown Butter, Lemon and Tarragon

Flounder With Brown Butter, Lemon and Tarragon
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(908)
Comments
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The flatfish family is comprised of numerous popular fish, including sole, halibut and flounder. But all the various boneless fillets are relatively interchangeable and can be prepared in more or less the same way, adjusting cooking time according to size. These pan-cooked fillets are quick, simple and elegant.

Featured in: A Delicate Treatment for a Just-as-Delicate Fish

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

364 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 591 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tilt pan to coat bottom.

  3. Step 3

    Season the fillets lightly with salt and pepper. Dip each fillet quickly into flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Step 6

    Spoon butter sauce over fish. Garnish with a few tarragon leaves and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
908 user ratings
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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

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.

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.

Excellent way to prepare flounder filets. Based on previous comments I used a non stick pan to prevent flounder from sticking. Also made the brown butter sauce in a separate pan and added the parsley and tarragon to steep while cooking the fish. This worked great so thank you.

Great return on investment, time-wise. A really good dish for little effort, and reasonably healthy. I appreciate an early commenter's suggestion to move the cast-iron skillet off the heat before putting the butter in. Mine browned perfectly and certainly would have burned otherwise.

This recipe was so easy to throw together and took almost no time to make! Would highly recommend if you are looking for a quick dinner to throw together. *Note- I didn't have parsley, so I added a tsp of Italian herb blend.

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