Flounder Meunière with Lemon Butter (Printable)

Crispy flour-dredged flounder with nutty browned butter and fresh lemon

# What You Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 flounder fillets, skin removed, approximately 5.3 ounces each
02 - 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 0.25 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Dredging

04 - 0.5 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 fresh flat-leaf parsley
10 - Lemon wedges for serving

# How-To:

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. Dredge each fillet lightly in flour, shaking off any excess coating.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter becomes foamy.
04 - Add flounder fillets to the foamy butter mixture, working in batches if necessary. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a warm serving platter.
05 - Wipe out the skillet. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat until it turns deep golden brown and develops a nutty aroma, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Remove skillet from heat. Stir in fresh lemon juice and chopped flat-leaf parsley. Immediately spoon the browned butter sauce over the cooked fish.
07 - Present the flounder meunière immediately while hot, accompanied by fresh lemon wedges.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • It's ready faster than most takeout, yet tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • The brown butter sauce is pure magic—nutty, bright, and deeply satisfying without being heavy.
  • Impresses everyone at the table while feeling completely natural in your own kitchen.
02 -
  • Brown butter can tip from nutty-perfect to burnt-bitter in seconds, so stay in the kitchen and watch it like a hawk—this is not the time to wander off.
  • If your fillets are thicker than a pencil, they'll cook unevenly and leave you with a raw center; pound them gently to even thickness before seasoning.
03 -
  • If you're cooking for more than four people, work in batches rather than crowding the pan, because overcrowding drops the temperature and you'll end up steaming instead of sautéing.
  • Make the brown butter sauce last—literally at the last second—so it's still foaming when it hits the fish; cold butter sauce on hot fish is the difference between magic and disappointment.
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