Stuffed Flounder
Submitted by MRS B
Whole flounder stuffed with crabmeat, country ham, and sherry, baked in lemon butter until flaky and golden. A Southern coastal classic that brings the shore to your supper table.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsDown along the coast, stuffed flounder is the kind of dish that shows up at the best fish houses and the proudest family tables alike.
Whole flounder gets butterflied along the backbone to create a natural pocket, then packed with a generous stuffing of sweet crab meat, salty country ham, sautéed vegetables, and a splash of sherry.
Baked in lemon butter until the fish flakes at the touch of a fork, every bite delivers that surf-meets-land satisfaction.
Kitchen Tips
- Work your knife at an angle along the ribs to create the pocket. Go slow and let the bones guide you.
- Country ham is naturally salty, so taste the stuffing before adding extra salt. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back.
- Use fresh crab meat if you can get it. The texture and sweetness are worth the splurge.
- The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Overcooking flounder turns it rubbery fast.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350’F.
Lay the fish bottom side (the white side) up on a cutting board and make an incision in each fish down to the backbone along the center of the fish, stopping just shy of the head and tail.
Working at an oblique angle, slip the knife in between the flesh and backbone and run the knife down the ribs on both sides of the backbone.
Sauté the onion, celery and bell pepper in a heavy sauté pan in about half of the butter over medium-high heat until the onions begin to become transparent, about 5 minutes.
Toss with the crabmeat, bread, eggs, parsley, ham, and sherry, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Remember that the country ham is salty and will impart its flavor to the crabmeat.
Stuff the fish with the mixture, brush a glass baking pan with some of the remaining butter, and add the fish to the pan.
Mix the rest of the butter with the lemon juice, pour over the fish, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
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