Pan-Seared Flounder with White Wine Butter Sauce

Here you go Ashley! For a simple pan fried flounder, I treat it like I am cooking chicken cutlets. No need for a traditional batter.

Ingredients

For fish:

• 2 flounder fillets (~0.7 lbs)
• Flour, enough to coat
• Neutral oil for searing (light olive oil or avocado oil)
• Salt and pepper
• Cayenne pepper (optional, light dusting)
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

For pan sauce:

• ¼–½ cup dry white wine
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ shallot, finely chopped (optional)
• 1–2 tbsp capers (optional)
• Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• 1 lemon wedge
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mise en Place

• Mince garlic; if using, chop shallot
• Chop parsley
• Set up a shallow dish with flour for dredging
• Cube butter
• Have a paper towel ready for the pan

Instructions

Fish:

1. Pat fillets dry and season one side with salt, pepper, and a light dusting of cayenne if using.
2. Dredge both sides in flour, then shake off the excess.
3. Heat a stainless steel pan over medium-high until very hot. Add a generous pour of oil.
4. Once the oil is shimmering, lay the fish away from you. Expect some splatter. Sear about 3 minutes until deep golden brown.
5. Reduce heat to medium, flip, and cook another 1.5–2 minutes. Pull at 140°F if you're using a thermometer. Set aside on a plate.

Pan sauce:

1. Dab out excess oil with a paper towel. Careful, the oil is very hot.
2. Over medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter (or EVOO), the garlic, shallot, and chili flakes if using. No need to preheat. Sauté 30 seconds.
3. Add wine, a squeeze of lemon, and capers. Scrape up any fond and reduce by half.
4. Pull off heat and whisk in the cubed butter a little at a time until emulsified. If it doesn't emulsify properly, it'll still taste great.
5. Taste, then season. Capers are salty so it may not need much.

Spoon sauce over fish. Garnish with parsley. Serve with roasted potatoes and some vegetables.

Notes

• Cornstarch works instead of flour but flour does the job fine.
• Honestly, if the fish is cooked right, a squeeze of lemon and some parsley is all it needs. The sauce is a nice touch but not required.
• I use stainless steel when cooking fish. Cast iron holds too much heat for a thin fillet if you end up needing to reduce the heat, and I shy away from getting my nonstick pans too hot.