How To Bake Flounder Fillets with Tomato Salad
Try this recipe for baked flounder fillets with a fresh tomato salad.
Try this recipe for baked flounder fillets with a fresh tomato salad.
- Carbohydrate 0.846134250015512 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.70261375072587 g
- Fiber 0.0667337473957871 g
- Protein 0.169801250009003 g
- Saturated Fat 0.235310775099984 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -4 (5g)
- Sodium 74.3698729168757 mg
- Sugar 0.779400502619725 g
- Trans Fat 0.0504313500204045 g
- Calories 19 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 450 degrees
- Coat baking sheet or baking dish with olive oil or melted butter.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on flounder fillets. Lay flounder fillets on dish and pop in oven for 20-25 minutes. Should be firm to touch and edges begin to brown and crisp.
- Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice on flounder fillets.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
- Serve on top of flounder.
- Serve immediately.
Removing the fish from the oven precisely when the flesh yields slightly to the touch yet remains opaque prevents the lean protein from turning chalky. Flounder is a remarkably delicate flatfish containing very little internal fat, meaning it lacks the natural buffer against overcooking found in oily species like salmon or mackerel. Setting the oven to a high 450 degrees Fahrenheit creates the rapid thermal environment necessary to cook thin fillets through before the exterior moisture completely evaporates. Because thin white fish dries out in minutes, monitoring the visual cues of browning edges and firming textures is far more reliable than relying solely on the clock. Fat acts as a thermal conductor and a flavor carrier, so coating the baking dish with olive oil or melted butter prevents sticking while promoting localized browning on the bottom surface. Fresh aromatics like chopped cilantro and raw onion provide a pungent, herbaceous contrast to the rich lipids in the oil and butter, cutting through the heavy mouthfeel. Dicing plum tomatoes uniformly ensures that every spoonful of the accompanying salad distributes equal amounts of acid, sweetness, and bite across the plate. Squeezing fresh lemon juice over the fish immediately after it emerges from the oven causes the volatile citrus aromatics to bloom instantly upon contact with the hot surface. Though this dish is best consumed immediately while the contrast between hot fish and cool tomato salad remains sharp, any leftover cooked flounder can be flaked into cold grain bowls within two days if stored properly in an airtight container.
