MONDAY FOOD POST - FLOUNDER MEUNIÈRE

Recently my dear other half found a YouTube video showing a recipe for a new way - to us - of preparing fish.  It was of a lady who has a place called the Back Porch & Wine Bar in Ocracoke, North Carolina.  You can see the restaurant here, and the video of her making Flounder Meunière here.  

If you want to listen to the video from start to finish it is about 20 minutes long, a really interesting story of how her family came to settle in this area of North Carolina.  It is called "Daphne Cooks Flounder Meunière".  

If you would rather just see how she makes the recipe, it starts at about the 8.45 mark.  We had a piece of cod to work with and not flounder as mentioned, but we used the same method.  The cod was thicker than the flounder and it took a couple of minutes longer than the time given in the video. About 4 to 5 minutes on each side, and it turned out perfectly. It all depends on how thick your piece of fish is, so best to check for yourself.  Our timing is just a guideline.

It was an interesting video from start to finish, and we decided our meal was one of the best ways we have cooked fish in quite a while. We served it with Jasmine Rice sprinkled with parsley over the top.  My photos didn't do it justice but what you can see on top of the cod in the first photo are chopped tomatoes and capers cooked in a white wine sauce.  The wine sauce was what sealed it for us.  The second photo shows the fish in the pan.  Gregg was head chef.

I found her printed recipe which I have added below (as I mentioned we exchanged Cod for the Flounder and it was about half what is called for in the recipe but we kept everything else the same).

Flounder Meunière

3 to 4 flounder filets (approximate 1-1/2 lbs)

Olive Oil

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Salt and Pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.

Generously season flour with salt and pepper and thoroughly combine.

While you are coating the filets with the flour mixture, heat your frying pan on medium high.  If your pan isn't large enough to accommodate the two flounder filets, cook each separately. 

Add enough olive oil to the pan to coat and prevent it from sticking.  Also add 2 tablespoons of butter and then add your filets.

Cook filets approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until fish easily flakes when tested with a fork.

Remove fish and set it aside. It won’t be waiting for long.  

Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, along with tomatoes, white wine, lemon juice and capers.  Cook until tomatoes soften and sauce thickens.

Spoon the sauce over fish and top with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Serve and enjoy!

I felt like we were channeling the late, great Julia Child when making this meal, the first French dish we have prepared that wasn't in a restaurant.  This is actually the second time we have made it since discovering the video.

As for Julia her cooking series was very much my favorite all those years ago when I first came to the States. I saw her drop a whole turkey on the floor once, when her show was filmed live, probably on a repeat show of hers much later - it was in black and white.  This didn't phase her one bit, she just picked it off the floor and carried on cooking.  I howled with laughter.  I loved her!  You can watch a little bit of Julia here.  She was one of a kind and her shows were very entertaining because of her spontaneity.

If you have time please look at Daphne's video where she makes this wonderful meal.  Seeing these recipes made a good way to get a decent dose of visual learning, which makes it easier we find when making the meal.

Here is the link if you prefer to go straight to the YouTube Video.

https://youtu.be/l1QPdcoUV2Q

There is also a pdf file showing the whole recipe here.  

This is probably our most favorite way to prepare fish right now.  

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.