Flounder Meunière with Lemon Butter (Printable)

Crispy golden flounder with nutty browned butter and fresh lemon—a French classic on your table in just 20 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 flounder fillets, skin removed, approximately 5.3 ounces each
02 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Dredging

04 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

→ Cooking

05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Sauce

07 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
10 - Lemon wedges for service

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Pat flounder fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Place all-purpose flour on a shallow plate. Coat each fillet lightly in flour, shaking off excess to ensure a thin, even coating.
03 - In a large nonstick skillet, combine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter becomes foamy.
04 - Add flounder fillets to the hot skillet in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer cooked fillets to a warm serving platter.
05 - Wipe out the skillet with a clean cloth. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns golden brown and develops a nutty aroma, stirring occasionally.
06 - Remove from heat. Immediately stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley.
07 - Spoon the warm browned butter sauce over the flounder fillets. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The fish stays impossibly tender because you're not fussing with it—just a quick golden sear and you're done.
  • That browned butter sauce tastes like you spent hours in culinary school, but it takes about three minutes and transforms everything on the plate.
  • It's the kind of dish that feels fancy enough for guests but practical enough for a Tuesday night when you're hungry and short on time.
02 -
  • If your browned butter smells sharp or acrid instead of sweet and nutty, you've gone too far and it's burnt—this happened to me twice before I learned to watch it like a hawk and have the pan slightly off center so it browns evenly.
  • Flounder fillets are thin and delicate, so they cook faster than you think and carryover heat is real; pulling them off the heat a hair early means they'll finish perfectly while you're making the sauce instead of turning rubbery.
03 -
  • Always start with the driest fillets possible because moisture is the enemy of a good sear—that extra thirty seconds of patting dry changes everything.
  • Brown butter has a window of perfection that closes quickly, so have your lemon juice ready to go before you even start browning the butter so you can finish the sauce instantly and keep it from burning.
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