Baked or Grilled Stuffed Flounder

Flounder! No, we are not talking about that pudgy fraternity pledge in the movie Animal House. We are speaking of that flat, spotted, strange bottom-hugging fish known as the Southern Flounder. For most of the year, the elusive flounder avoids the efforts of a large number of coastal rod and reel fishermen.

However, every fall, the urge to migrate out and into the open Gulf of Mexico, brings this homely critter into areas where those very same anglers can more easily target them. Flounders may not be glamorous, but, one thing is for sure, to quote a well-known TV Chef “Flounders are good eats.”

Here’s a recipe that proves that adage.

Flounder- gutted , scaled ,remove head and rinse entire fish inside and out thoroughly in cold water

Heavy-duty foil

½ lb.  Bay Scallops

½ lb.  Lump Crabmeat

½ Cup  Chopped green onion

½ Cup  Chopped celery

3 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped and seeded poblano pepper

3 Tbsp  Chopped red bell pepper

2 Tbsp  Minced garlic

1 Cup   Fresh breadcrumbs

3 Tbsp  Freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese

½ Cup  White wine

½  ea. Fresh Lemon- (juiced)

2 Tbsp  Olive Oil

1 Stick  Butter

1 ea.  large  (2 lbs) Flounder-gutted, remove head

2 ea.  Roma Tomatoes (cut in half)

1 ea.  Yellow squash – sliced thin

2-4 ea.  fresh mushrooms – sliced

1 Tbsp  Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice

Heat the olive oil and the butter in a sauté pan, add the onions, celery, and peppers and cook on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat; add the crabmeat, the breadcrumbs and enough wine to moisten the stuffing then gently add the lump crabmeat and Parmesan cheese. Season with the Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice.  Set aside to cool.

Place on a preheated charcoal or gas grill, or in an oven  at approx. 400 degrees  and keep the lid closed while cooking .

Place the flounder, brown side up on a cutting board in front of you.  Using a sharp boning knife cut along the center bone to peel open the fish, folding the flesh back to work your way around the bones, removing the entire skeleton of bones leaving you with one piece of fish, all opened up.  Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a foil boat made with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil, then add the flounder. Spoon the cooked stuffing into the cavity and fold the flaps over the stuffing.

Place the tomato wedges and mushrooms around the flounder in the foil.

Place on the grill or in the oven and cook for 20 to 24 minutes with the lid closed.  Remove from grill or oven when the meat is opaque, cover with a loose piece of foil and rest for 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe by Brian Slaven